The Selkie's Secret
by SakuraSamuraiGirl
Summary: Sawada Tsunami is half human and half vampire bat chosen to become the leader of the Vongola. However, there is someone else who desires that role. (Sequel of Nana's Secret)
1. Chapter 1: Dad's Coming Home

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its story and characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Part Thee and Me

By Beth Winegarner

_I_

_Last thing I remember before washing up on this shore  
Was the bright, jutting pain of the harpoon.  
Our blood has stained these seas before,  
Birth-blood and death-blood, salt mingling  
With the bracken of storm-tossed shallows  
And our falling numbers._

_We lose our skins here. Sometimes to the trappers  
Who hunt for their own greed,  
Sometimes to lovers who take us whole  
And hide our cloaks so that we must remain.  
Among them there are few who know who we are,  
But we are._

_II_

_His arms, like liquid gold and just as hot,  
Lifted me to the sky. He took me to the woods,  
Tried to bury me in blankets inside his blood-red  
House. He took me in._

_The air was thin, but heavy with white caresses  
Of fog wrapped around the dark, pointed trees.  
I walked among them, watching the sky,  
Which looked like the sea after a storm,  
While his eyes, like the sea from below on a sunny morning,  
Watched me._

_I could go no further than his leash allowed,  
Not even when I met the unicorn on the path,  
Or the old woman who turned us inside out  
And told me he was not the One. But I could not go  
Back until I found my skin. The one he stole._

_III_

_One night, high on mushrooms, he walked down  
To where the town begins, then returned. "You can hear  
The lighthouse out there at night," he explained._

_"Do you really need to hear that awful sound?"  
I asked. "Every time it blows, it means another  
Boat reaches shore safely, while another of my clan  
Bleeds to death on its splintered deck  
In the dark."_

_He turned, away from the direction of the sea,  
Salt water staining his cheeks. "I don't know why you  
Brought me here," I continued. "You rescued me from  
Nothing."  
I was dying, drying out on his shore, thirsty for greater waters  
Than those beneath his eyes._

_IV_

_"I don't know where your skin is," he snarled for the seventh  
Time. Sometimes he wished me away.  
But I was his prize, won at the edge of the world,  
As if in a great battle. His victory. So I walked  
Out of that dying red house, and I took the unicorn with me._

_He chased me to the waterline, lungs heaving,  
Arms flapping, but I discovered my coat under  
Sharp and heavy rocks. "Don't go," he begged, watching  
As the tide turned the unicorn to a narwhal and set her free.  
"I am not yours," I replied.  
"She was not yours. We are water through your hands.  
We are sand in your mouth."_

_His hand touched mine, and for a moment he was  
True. The wind came and blew him away,  
A piece of dry paper, ink already fading the  
Promises he'd made. And I slipped into my skin,  
Went to the sea, felt her embrace,  
And dove under again._

_V_

_Sometimes I return to this shore,  
Or shores just like it, and imagine I am looking for him.  
But I think the wind stole his name,  
Or his memory; either one is  
Death to his kind._

_My name is forever here, never spoken and always asked  
My belly is against these stones,  
The cold water sliding off my back.  
My heart races with the advancing fog; I linger  
As another boat is shipwrecked  
In the tide._

* * *

Chapter One: Dad's Coming Home!

Tsunami was standing in her mindscape with her beast-self standing before her. She raises herself on her wings and leans forward to nuzzle and lick at Tsunami's face. Tsunami giggles and returns her affections rubbing her nose against the beast's nose. Her beast-self huffs and leaps over the stairs and takes off flying about the cavern. Hyper Dying-Will Tsunami stood close by Tsunami.

"She's happy." Hyper-Dying Will Tsunami comments.

Tsunami nods, "She has been very happy lately. I guess…deep down I was afraid of my beast self. I accepted her as a part of me but not of me. I think I appreciated her more with Reborn's and the other's help in taming that side of me. My mind has become a little clearer but I'm still wild."

Tsunami looks to Hyper-Dying Will Tsunami. Tsunami finds her amazing! Tsunami wasn't given a chance to take in her third's self appearance in her fight with Mukuro. She was overflowing with confidence and looked very mature. She was cool! Her narrow eyes were gold and orange reflecting the sky flames' color she wields. Her third-self laughs and arches a brow.

"Why are you so amazed by me? This is you too."

"Only because of Reborn and that bullet…"

Her third-self turns Tsunami to her and she holds her hands.

"With time, you won't need Reborn's bullets. You'll be able to tap into your power on your own. I myself am not strong enough. There is still something holding me back."

"You can be stronger?"

"WE can be stronger. I am you, you are me. Like Yin and Yang."

Tsunami nods and pulls her third-self into a hug. The Third-Self squeezes Tsunami warmly and sighs. They pull apart smiling at each other.

"Um….I don't really like calling you my third-self…and Hyper Dying Will Tsunami is a mouthful. I want to give you another name!"

"I agree. What should be my new name?"

Tsunami folds her arms and thinks. She looks over her third-self again. She was waiting patiently watching Tsunami think. Her ever flickering flame still rested on her forehead blazing away.

"How about…we add the kanji of flame to my name! Hinoh-nami!"

"Hinoh-nami it is! It's funny though. You're name 'tsunami' is of the water. I am fire. Clever."

Tsunami blushes and shakes her head. She wasn't trying to be smart! Her beast-self returns and lands beside the two of them and croons. Hinoh-nami suggests that her beast-self may like a name for herself instead of just be referred to as a beast. Tsunami scratches behind the bat's ear.

"Let's do the same as you and give her part of my name! 'Koumori' is Japanese for bat. Kou-nami. Do you like that, Kou-nami?"

Kou-nami licks Tsunami's face and chatters her delight. Tsunami and Hinoh-nami laugh and embrace Kou-nami around her neck.

* * *

After meeting with her newly named other selves, Tsunami opens her eyes within the Hibari shrine. She sighs softly and turns to Haru seated next to her. Tsunami was happy and a little proud of Haru that she been steadfast in her training as her apprentice. It made Tsunami feel that she was a good teacher. In the middle of her fight with Mukuro through the effects of the Criticism shot, she learned that Haru had a premonition of Tsunami's condition that she was trouble. Ghosts had given her reports of Haru's progress in trying to contact them. They commented that Haru was very kind to clean their graves and leaves gifts behind. Haru especially liked to visit the graves of ghost children, leaving sweets and toys. The ghost children were much fawned of Haru and wanted to talk to her and thank her for taking care of them. Tsunami doesn't tell Haru of what she learned nor passed the message. It would be more satisfying to Haru that she's gains the ability to talk and see ghosts by her own growing power.

Hayato was able to see ghosts too. He gained the ability through his contact with Nekomasa. He didn't realize he was seeing them…until he saw a ghost's face in his toilet bowl one morning! Hayato had mixed feelings of the ability to see ghosts constantly. One part of him was happy to be able to see the most common of supernatural beings. However, he didn't realize how constant they were and as he got to know the ghosts he was seeing, he realized that they were just dead versions of people he found absolutely annoying in the living world! He found that the ghosts of Namimori School of the female variety had a crush on him and tried to get the handsome Italian-Japanese to talk to them. They pester and…haunt him until he couldn't take it anymore and yelled at them in the middle of class! Tsunami had to help him out sometimes and told the ghosts that the same rules they follow with her apply to Hayato as well. She also helped Hayato with the ghost in his toilet. She was able to exorcise the ghost thankfully. Some ghosts desire to be spoken to. They find comfort with those that are alive than other ghosts.

But then there are ghosts like Mukuro that keep to themselves from other ghosts. These ghosts are ones to be watchful over for they would wallow in negative emotions: sadness, loneliness, anger, hate, jealously and would transform into an evil spirit. Tsunami didn't have to worry about Mukuro. He was in close proximity of Tsunami at all times. She always wore Kyoya's collar and Takeshi's bell where ever she went. Tsunami expelled positive spiritual energy from her kind and compassionate soul. Slowly, these helpful energies were nibbling down the remaining darkness of Mukuro's soul. Mukuro was back to his confident, mischievous self now. He could form his ghostly apparition of his soul outside of his prison but couldn't stray too far. He mostly appeared to Tsunami. Sometimes he would lie over her desk in some pose that French painters liked to paint. Asked her questions of when school was over and when he could get started on his good deeds. She had asked her grandfather for guidance. He had said he had an idea but he was making preparations for it. It had been a month since.

Tsunami returns home after training with Haru. The first lamppost on the street had just lit up when Tsunami stepped up to her front door. Something was strange to Tsunami as she opened the door. Before she arrived at the house, on the corner of her street she could smell dinner, but she couldn't exactly identify what it was. That was very strange. It was many scents mixed together. She thought she could smell Udon noodles, tempura shrimp, fried chicken, rice and even some non-Japanese meals! She enters the house and removed her shoes at the door.

"Mom?!" she didn't really had to shout.

"You seem uneasy, Vongola." Tsunami hears him from within the bell.

Tsunami removes her new semester, navy blue sweater vest. She puts it in a waiting basket and unbuttons a few buttons down to her bra. Tsunami moves to the kitchen as she untucks her shirt and to her surprise she feels a full spread across the table! She had guessed right on a few dishes! There were some dishes she had never seen her mother cooked before but looked delicious.

"Mama! Who's going to eat all this!? Ack! You're making more?!"

Nana was singing and dancing as she cooked at the stove. Reborn was munching away from one of the main dishes, which looked to be a large platter of tempura shrimp! Mukuro appears, looking over her head and if he had a stomach, it would growl.

"Delicious." He comments.

Tsunami smiles up at Mukuro and pulls out a mini memorial tablet. It had his full name carved into it and it was set on the table. Mukuro's ghost suddenly feels sensations of smells and he could taste what was on the table.

"What?...How?"

"Why do you think people sometimes leave food in front of their loved ones' graves? It's for the ghost to get a sample of what they had in life. It wouldn't be fair to eat in front of you. That's just torture."

"If you're speaking to Mukuro, he technically is on punishment and should be tortured. You're too kind to be a jail warden. Never go into that occupation."

Tsunami glares at Reborn but focuses back on her mother. Bianchi and the children came from downstairs and dug in.

"You're mother has been cooking non-stop," Bianchi informs with a piece of shrimp in her mouth. "Did you ace a test or something?"

Tsunami shakes her head, "Mama!" Tsunami calls.

She continues to sing and dance as she chops vegetables. Tsunami calls again, but her mother was still lost in her own little world. Tsunami huffs and taps her mother's arm. No matter how loud she was Nana was not going to hear her even with her bat ears!

"Oh! Tsu-chan, you're home!"

"What's going on, Mom?"

Nana giggles and waves the knife she was holding, "You're father's coming home!"

Tsunami's eyes widen. She felt a chill crawl up her spine and grabs her shoulders, "O-oh?"

"Isn't it wonderful? After all this time working in the oil fields abroad!" Nana giggles.

Tsunami turns her head, '_Right...oil fields_.'

Futa and Bianchi notices Tsunami's sad expression. Nana sees it too and holds her daughter's shoulder. Tsunami snaps her head up and was looking into Nana's very concern eyes.

"Tsunami? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

"Tsunami."

"It's…it's just that…he left us when I was five, Mama. All you told me was that he had become a star. I didn't get it…so I was confused! It wasn't until we started getting postcards that I realized that he was still alive!"

"Oh, Tsu-chan!" Nana gasps.

"Now, after nine years he decides to come see us! Nine years, Mama!" Tsunami's voice quivers. '_And knowing that he is part of the mafia…there has to be some mafia-business-like reason for him coming home…he isn't here just to see us_…'

"I…I'm going to take a bath, Mama…"

Tsunami moves out of her mother's reach and runs upstairs. Nana watches her daughter go and chews on the tip of her nail.

"Oh, I thought she would be happy."

Tsunami shuts the door behind her and begins pacing about her room. She moans as she twists her hands into her hair. Her father was coming home. Her father was coming home! Should she be happy? Should she be mad? Tsunami was so upset because she didn't know which to feel! She had been very young when he had left them. She remembers how depress her mother became with him gone and it affected her. It was a horrible feeling and who knows how bad it would have been if her mother didn't call Buiiro for help! Gods! If her grandfather found out he was coming! She shudders. Her grandmothers told her that Buiiro didn't like Iemitsu the moment he was introduced to him by her mother. Tsunami even knew that Buiiro didn't want Nana to marry Iemitsu. Whether he just didn't want to let her go because he was human or just didn't want her to be taken away period, either way, it took all three of her grandmothers to convince their husband to let Nana have the choice to marry a human. Nana chose to hide her true identity from Iemitsu and married him because she loved him. Nana could still be herself in secret but she had always felt guilty for deceiving her husband. But Nana didn't need to feel guilty. Iemitsu was hiding a much bigger secret from her. Did he feel guilty of his decisions!? He lied about his work! He distanced himself from them! Tsunami groans and falls onto her bed face first into her pillows. She feels Mukuro's soul enter her room. She rolls onto her back and she was face to face with him.

"Vongola."

"…Mukuro-kun."

She raises her hands and touches his cheeks.

"Looks like you have father issues of your own."

Tsunami frowns, "Please, my father issues are pathetic compared with yours. At least, you dealt with yours."

Mukuro smiles, "Do you want to kill your father?"

"…..use to." She mumbles. "Whenever I heard Mama crying."

Mukuro chuckles and reaches down to hold her face as well.

"You're upset. You're father left you and your mother when you were very young and didn't understand. You're father is a part of the mafia. Let me tell you, Tsunami, the mafia talks of family but it's not all hugs and kisses. The Mafia spills blood constantly. There are enemies that seek to step upon other familgia to get ahead. Their projects and schemes need funds and to fund them many are into dirty business….drugs, human trafficking, weapons smuggling….just to name a few."

Tsunami whimpers and covers her face, "Thank goodness, Mama can't hear ghosts!"

Mukuro strokes her hair, "Your father took a risk in evening marrying your mother and having you. Especially knowing that his ancestor was the founder of the Vongola. He left you and your mother here in this country to protect you."

"He should have tried harder…now I'm wrapped up in this craziness!"

"Ku fu fu fu, perhaps you'll feel better with a bath?"

"….that does sound nice."

"Good. It's already running for you."

"…eh?!"

She listens and she could definitely hear the tub being filled. She stares up at Mukuro and he smirks.

"Got the hang of telekinesis thanks to the ghost lessons."

She thanks Mukuro and sits up to prepare for her bath stripping out of the rest of her school uniform and out of her underwear. She digs into her closet and pulls out a fluffy pink bathrobe and wraps it around herself. Mukuro sits cross-legged in mid-air watching Tsunami's every move. It was a bit of a shock to him when Tsunami undressed in front of him so easily the first time. Not bothered by his presence at all. He reminded Tsunami of him being in the room and Tsunami replied that it didn't bother her. She explained to him that she was very comfortable in body and that amongst her clan that she had gotten naked in front of non-relatives and it didn't bother them. Mukuro concludes that being part animal Tsunami didn't have human reservations of nudity. Tsunami's body was pleasant to look at, and Mukuro, as one who has a trained eye for detail to make his illusions as real as possible, was a good judge of what is beautiful or ugly. Tsunami was short as most Japanese girls her age were if not shorter. Her skin was a shade paler than most due to her hiding her skin from the sun from head to toe with hats, layers of clothes and gloves. Tsunami had a healthy slim physique. Her diet was of the bloody liquid kind. Mukuro had gone through Futa's book and had run across a ranking of Tsunami's features. Her bra cup size was a 25B. That was a nice size. Plus there was an added note that they grew ½ inch. Her nipples were a lovely rosy color and blended well against her not-so pale skin. Mukuro had seen Tsunami's feral form during that last full moon. Parts of her body grew fur. Her arms became wings and her fur matched her hair. Her torso was still bare down to her lower regions and her legs up to her mid-thigh were also covered in fur. Feral-Tsunami, even through the current fall season, preferred to wear little clothing, though on rather chilly nights she has her two closest friends, Hayato and Takeshi snuggled under the covers with her. As a human, Tsunami was "furry" but it was trimmed nicely. Mukuro had seen Tsunami used her own claws to trim her panty-area, again, she didn't mind Mukuro watching. This went on for a month until it suddenly dawned on the Italian bomber one day, when Tsunami commented that she had never removed her collar even when bathing, that Mukuro had been in Tsunami's presence when she was naked. Tsunami confirmed it and didn't mind. Hayato and Reborn weren't happy about that and insisted that Tsunami removed her collar before bathing and restrain Mukuro inside. Tsunami was confused by their concern and assured them that she didn't mind. Besides, they had seen her naked as well!

Mukuro really appreciated that Tsunami was his "warden" of his crystal bell prison. There was so much to see of her and her world! He was very much entertained while lacking his own body.

Tsunami felt a lot better after her bath. She thanks Mukuro again.

"Oh! I think that's your first good deed!"

"Hmm, something that small counts?"

"Sure, why not? Please remind me when grandpa finally sends me whatever I need to track your good deeds. He's been working on it for a month…"

Her cell phone goes off, her ringtone of prayer bells ringing. A call from home!

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tsu-chan!"

"Hi, Shini!"

"What's going on? How are you and Muku-kun doing?"

Tsunami giggles as she sits on her bed and glances at Mukuro, "Muku-kun and I are doing find. In fact, he ran me a bath to comfort me. I think that counts as his first good deed."

"How sweet!...Wait, why did you need comforting? Something wrong? Were you picked on again?"

"….I don't think I should tell you over the family line, Shini…"

"…Whoa! It's that serious?"

"Shini, what's wrong with Tsutsu-chan?" Tsunami hears her grandmother, Nanako, from a distance.

"Uh…not sure yet…" Shini wasn't sure how to divert her mother.

"Tsutsu-chan, are you okay?" Nanako inquires herself.

"Um, I…" Tsunami stutters.

"Tsunami?"

Uh oh.

"Y-yes, grandpa?" Tsunami grins nervously.

"What's wrong?" Buiiro's rich and deep voice was filled with concern. It makes Tsunami shiver. He was probably hovering over Shini.

"Looks like you got to fess up, Tsunami." Shini too was affected by her father's voice.

"….dad's coming home…"

There was silence on the other line and then…

"WHAT!?"

Tsunami yanks the phone away. Shini, her grandparents and several other family members that were possibly in hearing distance of the conversation yelled through the phone! There was chaos, running of feet, questions being fired over each other's questions.

"THAT BASTARD IS COMING BACK AFTER NINE YEARS! NINE YEARS!?" Buiiro roars over his family.

Nanako tries to calm down her husband but Buiiro was livid. He continues to curse her father's name and she hears him repeat nine years, nine years over and over. His voice becomes quieter and Tsunami suspects her grandmother had dragged him away to properly calm him. Her mother bursts through the door and her face was flushed.

"Tsunami!"

"…I…I didn't want to tell all of them!" Tsunami whimpers.

Nana takes the cell phone and tries to perform damage control. They quiet down quickly and it was a one way conversation between Nana and her sister. Nana doesn't know when exactly Iemitsu would arrive. But the recent postcard from Antarctica Nana received said that he would be home soon. No date or time, just soon.

"Antarctica!?" the Tejinaka speak as one over the line.

"What the hell is in Antarctica!?" asks a male Tejinaka, a much older uncle.

"What does Iemitsu-san do again?" asks a female Tejinaka, another aunt of Tsunami's.

"He works in oil fields," Nana explains.

"…"

"There's oil in Antarctica?" it was Takehiko in the background.

"WHAT ABOUT ANTARCTICA!? WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THAT BASTARD!?" roars Buiiro, back in the room with Nanako and his two other wives along with him.

"Papa!" Nana whines.

Tsunami flops onto her back on her bed. Mukuro was again floating above her curled into a ball trembling and snickering. Tsunami glares at him and swats at his body but he makes himself insubstantial and her hand just phases through him.

* * *

"Wow, so your pop is coming home! Bet you're thrilled!"

"I guess…" Tsunami sighs.

"I honestly didn't think he was alive," said Hayato.

"Really?" Tsunami looks at him. "But, he's Mafia. You never heard of him?"

Hayato flushes, "W-well…I…I wasn't that in-depth with the ways of the Vongola…s-sorry, Hime!"

Tsunami shakes her head and sighs deeply, "…He was an odd guy. He wasn't around. He just left me and Mama when I was five. I don't remember him even saying good bye to me…"

Hayato and Takeshi finally realize that Tsunami was not so thrilled about her father coming home. They looked at each other and wondered what they could do for her. Takeshi stops Tsunami, taking her white-gloved hand.

"Say, why don't we hang out?"

"Baseball idiot's right!"

Tsunami's eyes nearly fell out of her head. Hayato agreeing with Takeshi!?

"You need to kick back, Boss! Forget about your family for awhile. Take it from me it keeps you sane!"

"But school…" Tsunami begins to protest.

"It's Sunday! It's only remedial." Takeshi grins. "Let's make it a group thing!"

"Just don't invite any idiots!"

Seeing Hayato and Takeshi getting along for her sake was bewildering for a minute. But she smiles and is happy that they care about her. She thanks them from the bottom of her heart and also thanks the gods for blessing her with such wonderful friends.

It was quite a group Takeshi had formed in half of an hour! Kyoko and Haru had come along, both dressed in casual clothes. The children were also added to the group: Futa, Lambo, Ipin and Reborn. Reborn was perched on Takeshi's shoulders and told her he expected her to work on the classes she was missing out on. Tsunami sticks her tongue out the baby and called him a killjoy with a smile. Reborn smirks at her cheekiness. Futa brings up the idea of going to the arcade. Takeshi agreed and even Hayato was eager to thrash them. He quickly claims Tsunami as his game partner! He remembers from the cruise what a game master she was! Takeshi pouted but said if he won, Tsunami had to be on his team. Hayato was confident that wasn't going to happen. There was several times on the way to the arcade center that they lost Lambo. It only took a few seconds before Tsunami located the little boy steps away from getting into trouble. Reborn was impressed that Tsunami could keep track of the cow-brat's movements amongst the noise of her friends, traffic and other noises of the bustling downtown area. They were getting close to the arcade and Lambo insisted that he wanted something to drink. Now! Tsunami calms the boy down and takes Lambo to a vending machine while the others waited on them. Kyoko joins Tsunami with I-pin at her side.

"Lambo is a handful, isn't he," Kyoko smiles. "But you're amazing with him."

"Thanks. I have a lot of little cousins. If I can handle an entire pack of those little guys, I can handle a rascal like Lambo!"

The girls laugh as Lambo guzzles down his grape juice. Tsunami rubs his back and encourages him to slow down.

"I was relieved when you returned from Kokuyo. I wasn't sure what was going on but when you came back, you didn't seem different. It really eased my mind."

Tsunami smiles at Kyoko. She was about to thank her for her concern but her ears twitches. She heard sounds of explosions from a distance. It certainly wasn't Hayato's explosives, thank goodness. She hears people screaming and yelling.

"Kyoko-chan…"

"Yes?"

"I think we better go…"

Tsunami takes Kyoko's hand and tells Lambo and I-pin to follow. The children does as she says, hearing the seriousness in her voice. The crackling of cement and smashing of glass rings in Tsunami's ears making her turn to a building that explodes with debris flying everywhere. The people in the area scream in a panic and ran! Her eyes catch movement of something large and organic flying out of the destroyed building. Her eyes widen when she recognizes it as a body of a young boy….and it was heading right for her. Tsunami yells as it collides with her. She could have moved but then he would get hurt! It did hurt her when she was flattened onto the ground with the boy on top of her. The impact knocks her hat off her head. The boy groans and sits up over her.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologizes as if he merely bumped her in passing.

Tsunami moans and looks up at him. They both gasp. The boy was a foreigner with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But what really had her attention was the blue flame on his forehead! The boy was surprised by Tsunami's appearance as well!

"It is thou…"

Tsunami blinks, "'Thou'? Who says that?" Other than some really ancient lesser gods and spirits she had met!

She hears the voices of her friends rushing to her. Kyoko was at her side, shocked of what just happened. Reborn joins the group as well and his eyes are filled with recognition of the boy, still hovering over Tsunami.

"What's he doing here?" the baby asks.

Tsunami hears the emphasis of "he" in Reborn's voice. This was a mafia thing wasn't it? Wasn't it!? She remembers Mukuro and her hand grabs the crystal bell. He was okay!

"VOOOOOOOOI!"

Everyone looks up and at the top of a building and there was a man in black wearing a black overcoat flapping in the wind. He had long, long white hair that whipped around his face like spider webs. A terrible, mad grin shows off his white teeth. His gray eyes were wide with blood lust. On his left hand was a long wide blade.

"I sense a storm," remarks Reborn.


	2. Chapter 2: Dad's Home

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its story and characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 2: Dad's Home!

The man was grinning with mad glee. He swings his blade and creates more destruction. More civilians scattered away from danger. The boy with the blue flames clenches his teeth. He jumps to his feet and pulls Tsunami onto hers.

"I apologize, Sawada-sama! He followed me!"

"-Sama?...Wait, how do you…"

"Come! We must get to safety!"

The boy runs pulling Tsunami along with him. Tsunami's head was spinning. This was crazy! Some strange boy she had never met recognized her and knew her name! Said strange boy was being chased by a crazy man with a sword!

"My apologies again, Sawada-sama. My name is Basil! My master has sent me to find thee…"

They turn down a street and the man springs down in front them out of nowhere! The boy named Basil shields Tsunami with his arms as he faces the sword-wielding man. Straightening up, the man glares at Basil, raising his sword across his chest. The man looks from Basil and narrows his eyes at Tsunami. Tsunami frowns in confusion at the man. There was something odd about him. As she was staring at the man, the man was staring at her trying to figure her out as well.

"Who's your friend?" the man demands.

Basil doesn't answer him. The man growls at Basil's defiance and raises his weapon. He swings down upon him. Basil raises his own weapon, a blade shaped in the form of a boomerang. Though Basil raised it up in time, the swordsman tosses Basil into a building. The man was incredibly powerful! The swordsman focuses on her and stalks towards her.

"Voi! What's that kid to you? Spit it out or get sliced up!"

Tsunami shakes her head. She didn't know him! She didn't know why he knew her and tried to protect her. The sound of the fizzing dynamite is heard overhead and Tsunami and the man look up at the same time. The swordsman leaps back out of the range of the raining bombs. He looks over his shoulder at his attacker. Two teenage boys had decided to butt in on the swordsman's business. He growls as he turns fully to face them. The boy with the gray-silver hair glares at him coldly, one hand in his pocket and the other with sticks of dynamite between his fingers. The other boy was grinning like a fool with a katana held over his shoulder at the hilt.

"I strongly advise that you don't lay a hand on her," Hayato declares.

"Yeah," Takeshi continues to grin as his eyes harden, "We kind of frown on that!"

The man snorts, "Hah isn't that sweet!? What are ya', her bodyguards?! Hey! If you defy me…you'll die!"

"Please stop!" Basil raises himself out of the hole. "He would best thee easily!"

The man cackles and rushes at Hayato and Takeshi. Takeshi meets the swordsman and their swords rang against each other! Takeshi was swinging his sword like a bat! The swordsman definitely knew his craft. His footwork was precise and his swings curve and thrust enabling him to deflect and attack.

"You don't know any swordsmanship, do you?"

"Is that a problem?" Takeshi smiles tightly. He was sweating with the strain of the man's attack. With each of his swing his bones shudder and his arms and other limbs felt like limp noodles!

"Your swings are weak!" the man brings his sword down on Takeshi's.

Takeshi withstands the attack, however something whizzed past his peripheral vision! He didn't get a chance to react as a large flash fills the area with a great crack and a boom. Tsunami yells for Takeshi. Through the smoke, Takeshi was seen to take a few steps, before falling over onto his side, scratched and singed. Hayato swears and makes to throw his dynamite.

"Too slow!" the swordsman bursts out of the smoke.

He slashes at the bomber and cuts his dynamite into halves! Following through the movement of his swing, the man bring his unarmed fist into Hayato's face. Hayato was instantly sent to the ground unconscious. Tsunami looks between her two friends. This was getting dangerous! This man was far too strong!

"Hayato…Takeshi…" Tsunami trembles.

"Now then…DIE!"

The swordsman makes a final attack to end Hayato's life.

"NO!"

Tsunami covers Hayato with her body, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She looks the swordsman dead in the eyes, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she roars.

With her roar, her fangs and eyes flash. The swordsman takes a step back from her. Reborn watches carefully. The man looked as though he was frightened stiff. He didn't move an inch as Tsunami held his gaze. Was this what her cousins were talking about a month ago? Was it possible that Tsunami's "alpha gaze" could affect humans? The swordsman grits his teeth. In a jerking motion he begins to raise his sword.

"VOIIII! Who the hell are youuuuu!?"

The man snaps out of Tsunami's gaze and swings his sword….

KLANG! Basil with the blue flames puts himself between the crazed swordsman and Tsunami. The man laughs at Basil's persistence. He tears down on him, beating his sword onto Basil's weapon! Tsunami winces, the sound of metal on metal sounded like a funeral bell ringing inside her head. Her pained ears were making her head hurt.

"_Tsunami. You need to leave this place, now_!" Mukuro urges from the bell.

"I can't! I can't leave them here!"

"Such a sweet girl!"

Hayato's body rose from under Tsunami.

"N-nekomasa-sama!?"

Nekomasa raises Hayato's head and smirks, his acid green eyes gleaming. "Never a dull moment with you all!"

With a bit of a wince, Nekomasa stands on Hayato's feet. He sighs and flicks his hair out of his face. He watches Basil as he struggles against the swordsman. He twists Hayato's face in disgust and covers his nose.

"Ugh, I can't stand that smell!"

"Smell?" Tsunami questions and takes a whiff.

"It's the combination of stale sea water and wet dog!"

The swordsman throws the strange boy away again and points his sword at Hayato. He laughs at him for his persistence. Nekomasa gently pushes Tsunami away from him. He points to Basil and tells her to stay close to him. The man attacks Nekomasa. Nekomasa grins and just when the point tip of his sword was close to between his eyes Nekomasa ducks under the blade and slashes across the man's chest with his claws. The man gasps and leaps away. Nekomasa was still grinning as the man holds his chest.

"Damn you…" he snarls.

Tsunami gasps! The man's voice and his teeth!

"VOOOOOOI! I'll be back you brats!"

The man swings his sword. From the sword, he fires a smoke screen and makes a retreat. Nekomasa snorts and releases his hold of Hayato's body. It collapses to the ground. Tsunami checks over Hayato. He was still out from the previous attack by the swordsman.

"Tsunami! Are you okay?"

"D-Dino?!"

Dino, Romario and his men were hurrying towards them. Basil sits up by her side and sighs in relief. There was a meow. Nekomasa in his own large feline body head butts Tsunami's arm and purrs. Hayato groans as he wakes up. He was in daze for a moment but becomes alert seeing Tsunami's face.

"Boss! Are you okay?!"

"Yes, I'm fine." Tsunami strokes Nekomasa's back. "Thanks to Nekomasa-sama…and him…hey, are you okay?"

Basil nods as he smiles at her. "I am fine…I apologize for endangering thee."

Seriously why was a teenage boy talking like that? Basil's body shudders and he slumps to the floor. Dino helps Basil to his feet, slinging his arm over his shoulders. The police sirens were going off at a distance.

"Tsunami, you and your friends get out of here. Don't worry by this kid. I'm going to take him to get medical attention…"

"Oh, Hayato and…Takeshi!"

Takeshi comes running slightly injured.

"Gokudera and Yamamoto are fine," said Reborn. "They're lucky. It could have been worse…"

"Of course it would have been worse!" Tsunami yells. "Why didn't you do anything, Reborn!"

"I couldn't for that guy was another Vongola."

"…..Another Vongola…why was he attacking us? That makes no sense."

"It doesn't make sense, but I have little information of what is going on." Reborn explains.

"_Hmph! Typical mafia. Mafia is filled with nothing but backstabbers._" Mukuro grumbles to Tsunami. "_My apologies if I wasn't much of service to you._"

"As I was saying, you and the others were lucky. At their current skill levels they and you would be dead!"

Tsunami sees Hayato and Takeshi flinch. They were of little help in protecting Tsunami. It was Basil that the man was chasing after that was able to fend him off the most. Tsunami argues that they did their best, but she didn't do anything at all to help herself. Reborn takes her hand and drags her away. He tells the boys to go home. They have some issues to deal with.

* * *

Reborn has Tsunami follow Dino to the hospital where Basil was checked in. He had some mild injuries but he would recover. Tsunami learns from Dino that Basil was a part of the Vongola! Dino was very much sure by Basil's actions around Tsunami confirmed that he was indeed her ally. What also confirmed Basil's allegiance was what Romario found in Basil's clothes. Romario holds the case and opens them.

"He had these. I'm sure they are for you."

In the case were seven rings of seven different colors.

"Those rings are very important, Tsunami." Reborn's tone and face was serious. "They're known as the Vongola Half Rings. They're Vongola familgia heirlooms. They were stored in a safe place for the last three years until now."

"…Well, actually! Those rings are fakes…" Dino smiles.

"What!? Basil nearly died over fakes?!" Tsunami yells.

"Calm down, calm down. It was a safety precaution…"

"That's no excuse!" Tsunami continues to yell.

"Where are the real Vongola halves then?" asks Reborn.

"They're with me," Dino pulls out the exact same case out of his jacket.

Dino holds the case out to Tsunami. She takes the case and opens it. Inside were the seven rings, same as the fakes. From looking at them, they were old, but well-kept and well-worn. Each ring had a gem with a color from the rainbow. Tsunami couldn't help but sense some energy from each ring. There was one ring she was drawn to and she reaches out to touch it. It was the color of her flame. But then she looks over to the Basil. The poor boy was almost killed because of these rings. She shoves the rings into Dino's chest.

"I don't want them!"

"But…"

"No! I'm just a student that goes to remedial studies! I don't want to be part of the mafia! I'm going to be priestess! Good bye!"

Tsunami runs out of the room.

Dino sighs and smiles wistfully. Tsunami was stubborn. Maybe she was more stubborn than he was when he was Reborn's student.

"Dino, Basil was a diversion, wasn't he?"

Dino confirms Reborn guess. The one who sent Basil with the fakes knew that this would happen. Basil may have had no idea that the rings he was carrying were fakes and fought nearly tooth and nail to get the fake rings to Tsunami. It was very unfortunate and rather harsh in Dino's opinion. He looks down at the case. Dino shouldn't be the one to give the Vongola half-rings to Tsunami. It should be the man that had arrived to have given them to her. Reborn agreed with Dino.

Tsunami felt bad leaving Dino behind like that. She should be happy to see him, but with Dino came mafia business. She huffs. Mafia! Dino was visiting because it involved the mafia…just like her dad! Walking into her yard she takes notice that the laundry line was full of oversized work clothes. Her eyes widen and she rushes through the door. In front of the door were large, muddy boots! In the hall was a workman's helmet with light and a pick axe. Dread fills her, her heart races! He was here…he really was here! Bianchi was passing by, carrying some large black plastic case, and confirms what Tsunami was thinking. Bianchi told her that Nana had gone out to buy more groceries.

"Your father ate like a hungry lion." Bianchi commented before leaving out the house.

Next to come running to her was Futa and Lambo. Both young boys' faces were bright red with flush and an alcoholic odor wafts under her nose.

"Are you two drunk!?" she shrieks.

Futa was holding the evidence, a tall bottle of sake. Tsunami snatches it away. Futa giggled and said that he was told that it was therapeutic water! Tsunami nearly swore out loud. A curse word was on the tip of her tongue when she sees Ipin! With her round head she looked like a red balloon and would float up to ceiling by the alcohol she had taken. Tsunami puts the sake away in the fridge. She picks up loud snoring coming from the living room. She trembles as she makes her way to the room.

There he was! He hadn't changed at all! He was sprawled haphazardly about the floor in an undershirt tank and his ridiculous boxers. Tsunami hated his boxers! They had such lame designs! Empty trays and plates were stacked on the floor and table. Beer bottles and crushed cans were tossed about everywhere. Tsunami is filled with disgust as she stares at the man that was her father. She groans lowly and grabs her head. Her father was home. She turns away from him and distracts herself by gathering the drunken children and puts them to bed. She felt tired but was on edge. She takes a moment to thank the gods that her father was asleep. She doesn't know how to deal with him yet! Then, an idea came to her. She whips her cell phone out of her bag and she stomps down the stairs. She stands over her father, making sure to take in the destruction of the living in the frame of her phone with her father and takes a picture. Going back to her room, she doesn't see Reborn who had watched her take the picture and returned to her room. He sighs. Tsunami's unhappiness of her father's presence had not gone unnoticed by him. There had to have been a better way for Iemitsu to handle his family, especially Tsunami. He left the girl with nothing but speculation of his disappearance. She was very close to her grandfather. One of the few male role models in her family along with her uncle Yoyori following close behind. Buiiro disliked Iemitsu and probably shared his dislike with Tsunami which may have influenced her opinions of her father, intentionally or unintentionally.

In the Tejinaka temple, several family members close to Tsunami receive a text from her. The text said, "9 years and this…?" with a photo of Iemitsu. Several member sigh. Tsunami was angry. She was trying to vent her frustrations and she certainly wasn't going to share with her mother who was probably ecstatic with the return of her husband. Buiiro's wives had to coax their growling husband to release his cell phone…the screen now had a crack.

* * *

Nekomasa was following a female cat and her litter of three kittens. The mother looks back at him and meows.

"_Thank you, my lord, for taking time to listen to a request of one of my children!_"

Nekomasa smiles and shrugs his shoulders somewhat as he walked, "_Even kittens have troubles. Besides, I'm rather curious about this human who risked her life to save one of your kittens' lives._"

"_It took awhile, but I managed to find the hospital building that has her."_

"_Is this it?"_ Nekomasa looks up.

"_Yes, my lord!_"

Nekomasa tilts his head. This hospital was familiar. He had followed Tsunami and the human child Reborn to this building. It was where that boy with the blue flames was being held. His face twists up when he also picks up a familiar scent that was fresh. It was the scent of stale sea water and the scent of a wet dog again. Nekomasa orders the mother to stay outside with her kittens. There was a dangerous creature inside the building.

The swordsman with the long white hair had tracked Basil's location to the very hospital he was stalking in. He had avoided running into the staff and was able to slip under all security cameras. He found Basil's room by the number he pulled from peeking through the register when the nurse was away from the counter. He slips into the room without a sound. The door he closes behind him didn't utter a click. He goes to the corner of the hospital room where a camera hung and cuts all the wires. Basil was resting in his bed. He notices the closet in the room and decides to investigate it. Inside he finds Basil's clothes. He searches through them and he grins with glee when he finds a case. Opening it, his grin grew wider and wild, bearing his canines. Inside were the valued half rings of the Vongola. He snaps the case shut and pockets the case carefully down his new coat's pocket. He returns to Basil's side. This kid gave him a lot of trouble! He had to give the kid credit for giving him quite the chase. He looked so tired and worn out. Perhaps it would be better if the kid rests permanently! He raises his sword above the boy's neck. A growl from the window and feline screech announces Nekomasa's arrival. Nekomasa leaps upon the swordsman scratching about his face. The man yell's as he struggles to grab the cat! His sword that was attached to his wrist, not being held in his hand, knocks over Basil's IV stand, shreds the curtains and shatters a lamp. The man gets a good grip of the cat by its neck and flings him across the room. Nekomasa lands on his feet like any cat would. His fur was frazzled, his ears flat against his head.

"Hello, sea dog bitch!" Nekomasa speaks in human tongue.

"Huh, so you're one of those wannabe cat gods of Japan, eh? You're no god! You're just as mortal as I am!"

Nekomasa growls in fury, "Insolent bitch!"

Nekomasa lungs at the man! The man grins, this time he was ready for the cat! They dance around each other, taking swipes at each other. With every miss, Nekomasa grows larger and larger; he was now the size of a huge dog. It was getting hard for the nekomata to move around the room. Nekomasa was getting frustrated in trying to catch the man that had insulted him about his mortality. He would show him! He would…

"Stupid furball!" laughs the man. "You cats are so self-centered and think you have everything under control…you've forgotten that I am a 'sea dog' and not human…"

The man moves like liquid and had the speed of a shark creates cuts on the cat's hide. Nekomasa howls and he thrashes about trying to lay his claws on the man. But it was like fighting water! His claws just missing him and goes through him without damage! The man finds an opening. Basil was unprotected and he goes to attack him! Nekomasa had completely forgotten about the boy. The boy had protected his precious person Tsunami. He leaps into the air to pounce on the man. The man turns and thrusts…

Nekomasa gasps and his eye enlarges in shock. His weight and gravity sinks his body onto the man's sword. He was pierced right through his chest. Nekomasa chokes and places paw on the hilt of the man's blade.

"Damn…you…bitch!"

"Stupid cat!" The man sneers.

He turns the blade so the cat slides off the sword. Nekomasa pants and struggles to stand. The swordsman taps the flat of the blade into his hand.

"It's not enough to leave you to die…there's such a high possibility of you surviving this injury…."

"Bitch! Sea dog bitch! I won't forget this! I won't forget this! I curse you! I curse you…I…"

With a slash of his blade…a line of blood splatters across the floor, up the wall and onto the ceiling. Nekomasa's head rolls onto the floor. His body flops down. The man huffs and cleans his blade of the cat's blood onto Basil's sheets. The man contemplates continuing what he had planned to do, but hears the cat's voice.

"Curse you…" his head speaks. "Curse you…I curse you, sea dog bitch!"

The man's eyes looks out the window with a distant gaze, "What can you do to me, cat? I'm already cursed."

The cat's single green eye grays losing the eerie green light of life. There was the sound of running from the hall. The man rolls his eyes. The staff and security sure took their time. Basil was lucky. Thanks to the cat, he was able to live a little longer. The man had what he needed. He leaps out of the window and had disappeared by the time security guards burst into the room.


	3. Chapter 3: Presents!

KatekyoHitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Three: Presents

Tsunami felt someone's presence over her as she was asleep. She was between sleep and being awake. That moment when you're aware that you're asleep and wanted to stay asleep. But the presence she was sensing loomed heavily on her. Her nose wiggles and she sniffs gently. She smells someone masculine, with a hint of a musk, sweat and alcohol. Her eyes snap open and she sees her father. Iemitsu had just put something around her neck. It was a bit dark in her room, but there was a bit light streaming through her open curtain from the streetlight for him to see what he was doing. Iemitsu freezes when Tsunami became wide awake. Her eyes shown through the dark like headlights. They were wide with surprise then narrow when she makes a growl in her throat.

"Papa?"

"….Hehee, morning Tsu-chan!"

Tsunami sat up and turns her lamp on. Putting a hand on her chest she finds a chain and lifts it. On the end of the chain was one of the Vongola Half Rings! She snatches it off her neck so fast that it caught in her hair. She squeaks in pain and tries to untangle the chain. Iemitsu chuckles and gently bats her hands to help untangle the chain. Tsunami pouts in silence. Her leg bounces under her blanket.

"Heh, you're usually a deep sleeper! I got to be more careful!"

"Hmph!"

"Aww, don't be that way."

Iemitsu frees the chain from Tsunami's hair. Tsunami moves away from Iemitsu but he grabs her hand and places the ring in her hand.

"Tsunami, it's yours."

"I don't want it!" She hisses. "I don't want to be a part of the mafia! It's nothing but trouble! I'm going to be a priestess!"

"I know you're training to be a priestess. I'm not going to stop you. You can be a priestess and a boss for the Vongola."

"Not happening! Ever since Reborn moved in with us, this mafia stuff has been stressing me out! I've hardly have time to train but my meditation has increased!"

She looks away from Iemitsu and focuses on the clock. Noticing the time she slips out of bed. Iemitsu is pulled off her bed and directed to the door. Tsunami was going to get ready for her early morning meditation, thank goodness. Without a word he was pushed out the door and it was closed in his face. He asks Tsunami if she wanted breakfast, but Tsunami replied that she wasn't hungry. Within minutes she was dressed in her priestess attire with her bag in her hand. She gives Iemitsu a quick good bye in passing and leaves the house. Iemitsu sighs and rubs the back of his neck with a small smile.

"So, that's my little girl."

"She isn't so little anymore."

Iemitsu looks down on Reborn. Reborn had his little hands in his pockets. Iemitsu chuckles and nods his head in agreement. She had grown a lot. She was growing up to be as beautiful as his Nana.

"We've accomplished a great deal since I arrived. She even taught me a thing or two." Reborn shrugs.

"Oh really? That's a surprise. I was even more surprise when she defeated Mukuro with her spirit magic thing. I knew that Nana's family are priests and they take their job very seriously, but I didn't know how useful their abilities were."

"Didn't you know that they do stuff like that?"

"Well, not in detail. All I knew was that they handled a lot of funerals. The Tejinaka were mostly involved with the dead and all that. I guess I saw them as ghost whisperers."

"Hmph, they're a lot more than that."

"But, their ways can't be of any use against real mafia."

Reborn smirks, '_If only you knew_!' "She does still need more training. We have lots to do still."

"Heh, heh, I know, I know…then I leave everything to you then."

"….You really should talk to her."

"Hm?"

"Don't 'hm?' me. Do you realize how upset she is about you?"

"Me? She's upset with me?" Iemitsu points at himself.

Reborn sighs and shakes his head. "Nevermind. It's not my job to handle real family affairs."

* * *

After her early morning meditation, Tsunami's mind was clear and calm again. The half-ring was in her bag. She was going to give the ring back to Dino who she hopes was there. At the hospital, there was a crowd of onlookers standing around outside. They were talking and trying to peep over each others shoulder. As she drew close she heard from the people that visitors weren't allowed in until the investigation and the police leave. Something had happen last night. Police cars were parked close to the entrance of the hospital. Policemen were running in and out. Searching the grounds and cutting off certain areas with police tape. A group of police were by the building search amongst the grass and bushes for evidence. Tsunami knew it was Dino's hand on her shoulder before he made his presence known to her. Looking at his expression it was serious and full of worry.

"Dino?"

He looks up at the window. From below, you can see police at the window. One poked his head out and looked down on the police below. He shakes his head and shrugs, seemingly dumbfounded.

"That's Basil's room," said Dino. "I'm unsure of what happened. We can't go in, though we were the ones that brought him. We can't get involve with the police."

Tsunami bit her lip. Basil saved her and her friends life! What if something happened to him last night? She hears a meow and looks down to see a cat. The cat brushes against her legs, walks away a few feet and looks over her back. Tsunami follows the cat with Dino following curiously. Away from the hospital down an empty street that cat looks up to Tsunami and sees Dino behind her. She flattens her ears. Tsunami waves her hand.

"It's okay Cat-san. You can speak to me in front of him."

"…You can understand cats?"

"Well, I am part animal…" shrugs Tsunami.

The cat meows mournfully. Tsunami crouches down to the ground and opens her arms. The cat hops into lap and buries her face into Tsunami's neck. The cat mews and cries in her lap and as it made noise. Tsunami clutches the cat tightly and whimpers. Dino watches as tears filled Tsunami's eyes and ran down both of her cheeks. The cat turns her head and licks the tears off one of cheeks. She meows again and climbs off her lap disappearing into the shrubs.

"Tsunami-chan?" Dino reaches down and helps her to her feet.

"N-N-Nekomasa-sama…" she whimpers.

"Yo!"

Dino looks behind him and sees Takeshi approaching them. He had a wide smile on his face but it quickly melts away seeing Tsunami in distress.

"Tsu-tsunami-chan, what's wrong?"

"Nekomasa…sama…He's dead! He was killed last night…protecting Basil…from that man!" Tsunami covers her face. "Nekomasa-sama is dead!" she sobs.

Takeshi takes Tsunami from Dino and hugs her. He strokes her hair and her back. He could feel the tears soaking through his pulls away from him and digs in her bag. She sobs and rips the half ring on a chain out and holds it out for Dino. Recognition shows in Takeshi's eyes.

"Hey! That's…"

"Dino! Take it back!"

"W-what!?"

"I don't want it! This…this thing…this stupid ring is the reason why Nekomasa's dead! That man was after those fake rings! Nekomasa is dead because of these rings! Take it back! I don't want it!"

"But…but…" Dino stutters.

"I have one of those too!" Takeshi pulls another ring-half from his pocket. "I got it in the mail. So, it was from Dino-san, right?"

"Why do you have one!?" yells Tsunami.

"Because they have been chosen," Reborn appears by her side.

The rings had been sent to each member of Tsunami's familgia that are deemed worthy of being able to protect the next Vongola boss, Tsunami. The first seven members of the Vongola's inner circle passed down the rings to certify the succession of the next rings' handlers. They had been passed down for many generations. Each member of the inner circle is unique and had distinctive traits that match the ring given to them. Tsunami's ring was the Sky and belonged to the first generation boss. It was said that the first boss was like the sky. The firmament over all that possessed deep understanding and tolerance. In his inner circle of lieutenants, each of them resembled the weather. The Rain ring: the passing shower that cleanses; the Storm ring: the gale that blows with fury; the Cloud ring: the drifting cloud, unbounded; the Sun ring: the orb that brings the day; the Mist ring: the fog that creeps and obscures and finally, the Lightning ring: the bolts that pierce the air.

"I don't care about all that!" Tsunami yells after Reborn explanation. "These things make us targets! That man with the long hair killed Nekomasa!"

"So, it was that guy again. More than likely he took the fake rings from Basil. But, he'll be back when he discovers they're fake." Said Reborn.

Takeshi looks at the ring and goes into thought.

"….So he's coming back then?" He clutches the ring.

"Yup, I estimate that he'll be back in about ten days," Reborn smirks knowingly.

"Ha, then I'll keep it!"

"What!?" Tsunami whips her head towards him.

"I don't like to lose!" Takeshi grins. "If he comes back he may try to hurt you! I got to get ready so I'll be able to protect you from him!"

Tsunami stares at him in shock. Takeshi touches the cheek that was still wet.

"I'll get him back for taking your kitty. Don't cry anymore." He leans in close and kisses her forehead before turning to leave running away.

"We won't be able to beat the Varia with two guardians. We have the other guardians to train."

Tsunami jumps when she looked back to Reborn. He had changed clothes and was dressed in his Master Pao-Pao disguise! Before she could ask why, the reason shows up with Ryohei coming at full sprint up the street. He was on the other side but he noticed them and drags to a halt before crossing and coming up to her.

"TSUNAMI-CHAN!?...Huh…why are you crying!?" he grabs her face.

"Uh…" she was speechless.

"Perfect timing."

"Ah! Master PaoPao! You summoned me to train me?"

"Train you? D-do you realize why!?" asks Tsunami.

"I know about the rings and the timetable." Ryohei becomes serious staring into her eyes. "There's an extremely big match coming up and you need my help! So I'm going to help you!...Is that why you're crying!? NO WORRIES! I'll be on your team and make sure that we win!"

"With that, I have a friend of mine that would assist in your training," Reborn's pacifier flashes.

From above, Colonello comes down from the sky with his pet eagle. The eagle sets him down on the ground and settles in the blonde baby's hair. He smiles at Tsunami and winks at her.

"It's been awhile, kora!"

"Colonello!?"

"I have arranged a tutor for the wearers of the rings."

Colonello looks Ryohei over. With his long rifle he pokes at Ryohei's chest and abs. He snorts unamused. Reborn agreed with Colonello's observation. Ryohei could use some work. But the blonde baby smiles and accepts the challenge. He tosses Ryohei a bandana like his own with the number two and leads Ryohei away for his possibly intense training regime. Ryohei was fired up and followed without question! Tsunami's head was spinning. Dino holds onto her and squeezes her shoulders in comfort.

"I'm sorry for your lost, Tsunami-chan. I'm sure everything is overwhelming. I'm afraid that I have to go and see my student that Reborn has chosen for me."

Tsunami grabs her hair and growls. Not an angry human growl of frustration, but it was very animal and her fangs gnash together. She runs away from Dino and Reborn to home.

"Aren't you going to start your training with her as well?" asks Dino.

"…later. You know training with her isn't easy because of what she is."

Dino nods.

Tsunami finds her father in the yard throwing Lambo and Ipin in the air.

"PAPA!" she yells.

Iemitsu is startled and forgets to catch Lambo. Tsunami reacts quickly and catches Lambo before he hits the ground. Iemitsu was surprised and laughs at her. Tsunami sets Lambo down and grabs her father by his shirt dragging him away from home. She lets go of him after a block and half and stops in an empty lot. She grips her hands and bites her lip before turning to him.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she screams.

"Tsunami-chan?"

"Look you! I know that you're part of the mafia! Reborn had told me a long time ago!"

"Tch, Reborn…"

Tsunami stomps her foot. "I'm not as stupid as mom!"

"Now, Tsunami…" Iemitsu turns serious.

"I don't want to be a part of your mafia! I hate the mafia! It brings nothing but trouble and death! Nekomasa...Nekomasa is dead because of your mafia!"

Iemitsu sees the tears on his daughter's face. They were heavy and were soaking her cheeks. Her eyes were red before she started crying. She had been crying earlier. Nekomasa must have been a friend of hers. Iemitsu bit his lip. A friend had died because of the mafia.

"I…I didn't know. How did it happen?"

Tsunami sniffs, "…he was protecting a boy name Basil."

She hears her father tense, "I was told…that…the man with the long hair found Basil and he stopped him from killing him. But he…" she covers her face.

Tsunami is wrapped up into the large arms of her father and brought close to his chest. His large hand pets her hair. Just like he always had done when she was small, he covered the crown of her head, nestling his fingers between the spikes of her hair and combs them down the length of her hair to the tip. He held her as close to him as possible with his other hand holding her back. It's been so, so long sense her father held her this way! So long! She had felt so safe and loved in this embrace. She whimpers and buries her face into the center of his wide chest. Her hands grip his chest and she starts crying again.

"Papa…I hate you!"

Iemitsu stiffens and looks down on her, "What?!"

Tsunami looks up and Iemitsu's heart broke. Her wide honey-brown eyes were shimmering with tears. Her nose was snotty and her lower lip was drawn in under her teeth. He wipes her cheek with a thumb.

"I hate you! I hate you for leaving me! I hate you! I hate you for bringing your mafia business here! I hate you for lying to Mama…!"

"Tsunami-chan…"

Tsunami wails and clings to her father.

After crying, the two of the walked together in silence hand in hand. Tsunami held his hand tightly. Her face was red from embarrassment. She hadn't cried that hard in a long time. Not since she realized that her father may not be coming back when she was younger. Iemitsu sighs deeply and rubs the back of his neck.

"Tsunami. I didn't want you hurt you. I had to go."

"The mafia. It's starting to sound like an easy excuse…"

"But, it's the truth. I didn't come to see you because it would have put you and your mother in danger. Some would have realized my patterns of my visits to Japan. I only stayed away to keep you and your mother safe."

Tsunami kept herself from snapping that right after he left them an assassin came to the house to kill her. But her mother killed him instead.

"What changed now!? Why do I have to get involved with mafia now?"

"I can't say no to my boss. I was ordered to make you a candidate. I promise you, if I had a choice…I wouldn't have!"

Tsunami couldn't argue against that. Her grandfather had that much power over her clan as well. If Buiiro told you to do something you do it! Buiiro was a terrifying being to stand up to. She remembers him negotiating with the Vindice on his terms and he didn't budge and had no problem in causing harm to get what he raises her hand to his lips and kisses it. He smiles down on her and she blushes. Her father was roguishly handsome! No wonder her mother got flustered! She looks away from him and he chuckles. It had gotten dark and the streetlights had lit up by the time Tsunami and Iemitsu returned home. Nana meets them at the door and she gathers Tsunami into her arms. Her mother had heard through the animal grapevine that Nekomasa was dead. Iemitsu felt bad that even Nana knew who this Nekomasa was. Strange kisses her daughter.

"I…I don't know if it's a good time but…you got some presents from home."

"Presents? Oh! From grandpa!"

"Yes, you were expecting them, right?" She smiles. "They're in your room."

Tsunami nods and goes upstairs. Iemitsu stops her and pulls her back to kiss her cheek. She blushes and rushes upstairs. He chuckles after her. Nana sighs in relief. Iemitsu looks at her questioningly.

"Oh! I'm just glad that Tsunami and you are getting along again! For a little bit, I thought she hated you!"

Iemitsu pulls his wife close to him and kisses her. Nana moans and wraps her arms his neck. Then, it was Iemitsu was pulled into the kiss and he growls. His hands wander up and down her side. There was a cough and they broke a part and look down to see Reborn. Reborn was watching them. Nana blushes.

"Ara! Reborn-chan! Um…why don't you hurry upstairs and open Tsunami's presents?"

Reborn smirks wider and he pulls down his fedora, "Yes, ma'am."

He hops up the stairs. Nana giggles going into the kitchen. Iemitsu pouts and goes into the living room.

Tsunami finds the packages waiting for her on her bed. She picks up the smallest package and opens it with a claw. Mukuro appears and leans over her shoulder.

"_Are you okay_?"

"Yeah, I am now."

Opening the box she finds a long string of black rosary beads. Each bead was as small as a started counting them but stopped after thirty. It was so long! Mukuro tilts his head curiously. Tsunami finds a letter an opens it. Buiiro didn't understand computers and still wrote his letters by hand. Tsunami thought his ink brush strokes were beautiful and keeps them in a special box. Reading the letter, Buiiro explains that there were one-hundred black beads. The beads act as a tracker for Mukuro's good deeds. For every good deed, the bead would turn white. Tsunami holds the beads and thinks. She remembers Mukuro running a bath for her.

"Let's see. Mukuro's first good deed," She looks on the first the bead. "Mukuro ran a bath when I was upset…is that a good enough deed?"

She gasps as the bead turns white, "Yes! It counted! 1 out of a 100, Mukuro-kun."

"_Fantastic_." Mukuro sighs.

Tsunami decides that she would have to keep it on her at all times. She would hate to forget a good deed and not mention it to the rosaries when it happens! Moving onto the next package Tsunami had to rest it on the bed. It was rather heavy! Opening it and moving aside the packaging popcorn she finds seven large rosaries! They were the size of a full tangerine! What shocked her was that each bead was of the seven colors of the rainbow just likes the Vongola Half-rings! The rosaries were dull in color and had markings on the inside of them. Tsunami recognizes the characters of Sanskrit representing the seven chakras.

"What is that, Tsunami?"

Reborn was on her bed looking over the colorful rosaries, "They look like the Vongola Half-rings colors."

"_Oh the irony_!"Mukuro chuckles.

"I've seen some members of my clan with this weapon."

"It's a weapon?"

"It has several uses, but yeah it is a weapon. But to use it I have to meditate over each bead and what they represent!"

"Which is?" Reborn takes a seat on a pillow.

Tsunami reaches out to the red bead. She lifts it out of the package. She holds it in the palm of her hand.

"The Red Chakra: Muladhara; represents the physical body. The physical body houses the soul and is the base our support of our soul. Our base, our body allows us to connect with others on the physical plane."

"Funny. Red is the color of the Storm ring," said Reborn. "He strives to be your main support as your right-hand. Didn't see him with his ring, must've went straight ahead to his trainer to start training."

Tsunami smiles a little and sets the red bead into the box. She taps the orange bead, "The Orange Chakra: Svadisthana; is the physical energy of the body. It provides warmth and powers up the spirit." She touches the yellow bead, "The Yellow Chakra is Manipura; of the mind. It gives one the ability to understand and think. The mind must be open and clear to perceive the world."

"Definitely matches up with the Sun ring's description," said Reborn.

"_I'm starting to agree with the Arcobaleno. It's almost eerie how similar these rosaries are becoming like the rings._"

Tsunami continues on, trying to remember what she was taught, "The Green Chakra, Anahata is an extension of the mind, the emotions. It is the link that connects the body with the spirit. Emotions are powerful things. The most powerful emotion is love."

"Well, the similarities had just been broken. That's nothing like the Lightning ring…"

"I don't know. Lightning is like emotions. They can change in a flash."

She picks up the blue bead. The color was the same color as Takeshi's Rain ring. "Visuddha is tranquility and truth. The body and mind must be at peace to become one in spirit. To be at peace, you must know the truth about yourself. Once you know the truth you can learn the truth of others."

"Now were back on track that is of the Rain."

"Anja the Indigo Chakra; also known as the third eye or the mind's eye. It is the spiritual energy giving one intuition, insight and focus. We use this chakra to connect with ghosts and spirits. It also develops psychic abilities. Some of my family can communicate telepathically. I would love to learn that! I would be able to communicate with ghosts more easily or better yet with my friends! I can already track you and the others by your soul! And last but definitely not the least, Sahasrara, the Violet Chakra. To be one with one self, with your spirit and be able to project yourself into your spiritual form. That would be a tough one to do."

"How does it work?" asks Reborn.

"Well…." Tsunami goes back to her grandfather's letter.

To start the process of using the chakra rosary the user must bond with the beads. To bond with the beads Tsunami must input her spiritual energy inside the beads. It would only have a spark of her powers. For the beads to awaken Tsunami must focus on each individual chakra and put all her energy of that chakra from her to the beads. It takes much concentration and energy. Sometimes the beads would activate when she faces a trail or powerful spiritual moment relating to that chakra. Tsunami takes each bead out of the box onto a pillow.

"Okay, so each bead needs a bit of might energy to bond with me…"

Tsunami sits cross-legged on her bed. She holds her hands over the beads and closes her eyes. She remembers her training and readings. Each chakra had a sound used to call out to it. These sounds are heard in meditations of monks and priests of the Buddhist sects. The Tejinaka didn't limit themselves to one set of techniques. They have adopted many spiritual techniques from a variety of Asian religious cultures.

"Lam…." She whispers to the red chakra.

"Vam…" to the orange chakra.

"Ram…" the yellow.

"Yam…" the green.

"Ham…" the blue.

"Om…" the indigo.

"Ng." to the violet.

She repeats her calling to the chakra and loses herself. She doesn't feel Reborn or Mukuro, who were watching quietly as she slips into meditation. The characters in the center of the beads brighten brighter and brighter. She does this for half of an hour and the beads slowly rise one by one as she called each one. In a flash, the large glass beads shrink and wrap around her wrist, held together by a string of her soul. Tsunami gasps feeling the warmth of the beads energy around her wrist. She lifts her hand and stares at the beads.

"Wow!"

"_Indeed!_" Mukuro comments.


	4. Chapter 4: Muladhara

KatekyoHitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

KatekyoHitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Four: Muladhara

Tsunami's training begins tomorrow. It was after midnight when she was awakeedn by something at her window. It was soft enough for only Tsunami to hear. Reborn was still asleep according the rise and fall of his chest of his soft breathing. Looking through the dark she recognizes the mother cat from the hospital. She opens the window and the cat meows frantically.

"_Tsunami-san! I need your help!_"

"What's wrong?" Tsunami whispers.

"_You must help the girl at the hospital! She's dying. I sneaked into her room to give her comfort and overheard the doctors speaking with her mother and father. She is missing parts of her inners and her mother refuses to help her!"_

Tsunami frowns. A girl's parents weren't going to save their daughter!? How terrible!

"But, what can I do, Cat-san? If she was already dead…I can help her find peace…but you want me to save her life! How can I?"

Tsunami clinches the crystal bell. As she holds it an idea begins to form.

"Mukuro?"

Mukuro appears beside her. He watches her holding his tiny cage.

"_Vongola?_"

"You've somewhat gained the ability to use your flames and your illusions. Maybe…maybe you can help the girl?"

"_You're giving me away?_"

"No!" Tsunami gasps, "No, of course not, Mukuro-kun! But, I think she needs you right now. She has nobody to care for her. I want to help…but I need you to do it."

Mukuro takes her hand, kisses the back of the hand and the palm. Tsunami's lips turn up sweetly as she grips his hand.

"Very well, I will do it."

Tsunami nods her head in thanks. The bell is removed from her collar and held out to the cat. The cat takes the bell, bows her head in thanks and slips down the house into the night. Going to her night stand, Tsunami picks of the dark beads. Another bead turns white. Reaching up to her neck, Tsunami suddenly felt alone. She felt that she and Mukuro in their one month together had bonded closely. He was always there and around her, offering his charming wit and sharing his insights of her daily life, especially at school. He was also a fast learner! He was possibly as smart as Hayato. Though, Tsunami thinks it was best that Hayato didn't know of Mukuro's intelligence level. But, it wasn't going to be the last she sees Mukuro. She would check on him and hopes that he was able to help the girl in much dire need.

* * *

Tsunami was rudely woken up early in the morning by a kick from Reborn. Tsunami hissed at him, earning another kick from him. Tsunami dresses casually by Reborn's suggestion. She was going to start her training today and school was the least important due to the circumstances she was in. Nana was already at her usual post in the kitchen, cooking for Iemitsu. Tsunami brushes past her mother and moans in greeting and her mother chirps back. A scent she hadn't smell in nine years drifts under her nose. She pulls a blood pouch from the pantry's mini fridge. After sticking a straw in the pouch she sits in a chair and watches her mother. It soon dawns on Tsunami what the scent coming from her mother was. It was autumn!

"Mama?"

"Yeeees~?"

"Are you on your heat peak?"

Nana giggles and looks over shoulder and nods. Tsunami blushes a little bit. Of course, Nana would definitely be in the mood! Nana hadn't been intimate for nine years (Tsunami was developing a twitch when she thinks of the number nine). Her mate was finally home right when she's at peak.

"Tsu-chaaan~? Can you do your mother a favor?" Nana was purring like a luxury vehicle.

An hour or so later, Tsunami leaves the house with Reborn on her shoulder and Futa, Lambo and Ipin around her. Reborn wasn't pleased with the little tag-a-longs.

"Tsunami, what's with the kids?"

"Mama asked for a favor. She already had made room arrangements at Kimiki-san's bathhouse for a few days. I gave her actual amount of days and she was very thrilled about it."

"Why would Nana want to get rid of the kids?"

"….Reborn, my mama is an animal, 100% animal. She hasn't been intimate in," she shudders, "NINE years AND she's entered her heat peak." She allows Reborn to process the information. "Since summer," she adds.

"Ahhhh."

"I hope you don't expect to see my dad during the training. Mama's not letting this opportunity go."

"Perhaps it is for the best," Reborn smirks. "We wouldn't be able to do the training if he was watching us." Reborn smirks. "You'll be going into Feral-Bat mode. The goal for your training is getting you to tap into your Hyper-Dying will mode without going wild. If you can do that, you would be much stronger and wiser…and won't scare anybody to death when revealing your true form."

"….I thought I would be able to control myself while in feral mode since discovering Hinoh-nami…"

"Who?"

"Oh! When I meditate within my own mind, I meet my other selves. There are two sides of me that are a part of my soul. My beast side and my Hyper-dying will self. I gave them names and we seem to have gotten closer."

"That sounds promising."

Kimiki welcomed Tsunami and the children with open arms. She expressed her surprise hearing that her father was back in town. She giggles and hopes that Nana breaks the man's back. Tsunami shakes her head; she didn't want to imagine the activities that her mother had in store for her father. Some small part of her was concern for her father's health. The rest of her agreed with Kimiki. She hopes her mother does break her father's back and his hips too! The kids raced around the bathhouse squealing as they slip and slid about the floors. Tsunami warns them to be safe in passing. She finds Kimiki in her office.

"Kimiki-san…uh..well…you know about…the uh…"

"About the mafia?" Kimiki grins.

Tsunami nods. Kimiki knew about the mafia when she was brought to the bathhouse after her first encounter with Mukuro. Kimiki didn't tell her grandfather but made Tsunami promise to visit her bathhouse every week (they still have to pay of course) and bring guests with her.

"They're coming back again and my friends and I have to fight them…I'm sure you heard by now that Nekomasa's…"

"Nekomasa…? He…"

"He's gone! He was taken away by someone from that mafia! Reborn said that the mafia that's coming is very strong. So I have to train hard. Please, can you watch the kids?"

"Of course, Tsu-chan! Do your hardest. Please survive this. It would kill me if something happened to you and I could have prevented it."

* * *

Tsunami and Reborn go to Kokuyo Land, their usual training spot. They go the theater room where she fought Mukuro.

"Let's begin." Reborn fires at Tsunami.

Tsunami transforms and shrieks. Tsunami hisses at Reborn and lunges for him. Reborn dodges.

"Hmmm, watch it, Tsunami! I'm not your punching bag!"

Another swipe of her wing and Reborn huffs as he leaps back, "Sheesh, I can't wait till you're able to control yourself. Yamamoto has the whistle."

Leon shifts, becoming a whistle. Reborn blows into it and Tsunamii yelps.

"Heh, good girl."

Tsunami finds Hinoh-nami waiting for her within her mind.

"Another challenge awaits us?"

"Yeah, and it's much more dangerous than before!" Tsunami groans. "Reborn wants to train us physically before they get back. I have to learn to become you and be stronger!"

"All Reborn knows is to train physically. But we have a different alternative. You have accepted me and Kou-nami…but…not completely."

"Ah…"

"It's okay! We understand that there is still some fear. You can be strong…you are stronger than any human. It is that strength you're afraid of. You don't trust yourself." Hinoh-nami brings Tsunami close and hugs her, "Don't be ashamed! We shall train here. We want to be one with you…make us one. Make us truly whole."

Tsunami goes back to the physical world, clinging onto a cliff. She was half-way to the top. Down below her was a river. She squeaks in surprise, digging her claws deeper into the cliff-face.

"You're back." Reborn calls down from the top.

"Reborn! What am I doing here!?"

"You're in training, remember? The Vongola bosses developed various fighting styles down through the generations adopting weapons that reflected their personalities. One wielded knives, another guns…another believe it or not flung forks. You are another unique individual. Your weapons are those boots of yours. Or rather, leg gauntlets…they look like something knights wore. It took some thought to figure out how to train the use of your weapons. The first boss, the one praised as the 'great sky'. He was considered the strongest. He used gauntlets on his hands. You're being trained in his style. He used to climb cliffs in order to gain strength needed to go into hyper deathperation mode at any time."

Tsunami growls.

"I'm tired of yelling at you…hurry up and come up!"

"…Reborn…I can't…I'm tired. My body is stiff all over! I can't move!"

"Well, we can see if you can still swim…drop."

Tsunami whimpers. She was probably too tired to swim! She didn't have the energy.

'Tsunami!'

'Hinoh-nami?'

'Come on! Don't rely on the 'mafia-way'. You have another way!'

Gritting her teeth, Tsunami seeks her spiritual energy. It had grown greatly since the greatest battle of mind and soul with Mukuro. Her eyes tint with red and with a snarl she reaches up and clutches the wall. Cracks spider away from her hand, claw over claw she slowly climbs up the wall. She pulls from the energy from her soul and it grows. It started warm and grew hotter and hotter. Her blood and body was on fire! Hinoh-nami felt the power as well. She pushed Tsunami on with words of encouragement while still maintaining her calm. But Tsunami heard the strength and determination in her hyper-mode self. Tsunami claws her way to the top and with one last push she leaps onto the edge. She pants, sucking in air deeply and desperately. Never had she felt so exhausted! She collapses at Reborn's feet.

"…made…it…."

She gasps as she felt one of the beads of color fill with power. Turning her head she sees the red bead aglow. It looks like a round-shaped ruby. Tsunami smiles.

"Mu…mu…Mulad…hara…always…the first…"

Tsunami falls unconscious drained physically and spiritually. Reborn wasn't expecting that. He should have. He thought it would take two days for Tsunami to climb the cliff. But her animal strength and spiritual strength always came through in the end. But, she can't rely on those things every time. She was going to be dealing with mafia not ghosts. But, then again, she did won against Mukuro using her spiritual powers. Thinking further back…she had used her spiritual gifts against mafia before. The mafiaso that were after Fuuta, she had summoned a nature spirit. She passed a mafia test on Mafia Land with the help of a ghost. Perhaps he should start trusting that side of her, he didn't know how, but he would try. Reborn looks over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps. Shamal appears out of the forest and appeared to be annoyed.

"Shamal. How goes your training with Gokudera?"

"Tch, the little punk never came to me! I mean…I would of told him no anyway. But I know how important this thing is...so I would have least try…!"

"Not good. He better not be doing something reckless. Tsunami needs him."

Shamal waves Reborn's concern off, "Relax. We all would know if he was in trouble. If he killed himself we would of heard it by now."

The womanizing doctor may seem not to care, but Reborn knew he was. Shamal was the man Hayato had admired during his childhood. He even copied his hairstyle. Shamal was the one that introduced dynamite to the hot-headed boy. He had trained him willingly when he was young until the boy blew himself up to win a fight. After that incident Shamal stopped.

"Well…I'm sure I'll run into him at some point…he shouldn't have disappeared off the face of the earth…saaaay, does Tsunami-chan need a bit of healing~?"

Tsunami growls. Reborn smirks.

"Nah, she's fine. As soon as she's awake she'll be up and ready. I want her to climb the cliff again…then will go onto stage two. That needs to be handled very carefully."

Shamal stares at Reborn confused. Reborn wasn't one to be cautious in his training. With all his past students he went all gun-ho on them. Throwing them into jungles, pits of rapid animals, the whole nine-yards! Was it because she was a girl?

* * *

Tsunami woke up in her hotel room. On the bed beside her were two blood packets. She empties both packets. She makes a sound of pleasure when she finished the second packet, smacking her lips. She was naked. As she recalled, she woke up a few hours after her first climb. It surprised Reborn that she rested so quickly…delighted even. He shot her immediately and she went into Dying-will mode! She had flown down to the bottom of the cliff and climbed up the cliff faster than before. She collapsed again when the sun had risen.

As she was asleep, the essential piece of the second stage arrived. Basil had been released from the hospital and was eager to return to his duty. Basil finds the hotel room and knocks. Reborn gives him permission to come in.

"Good morning, Reborn-dono! How hath Sawada-sama fair in her training?"

"It's going very well. She climbed a cliff twice in one day."

"Incredible!"

Reborn puts a finger to his lips for silence. There was a murmur from the bed and when Basil looks upon it he gasps and whips his head in the opposite direction.

"Reborn-dono! Why is Sawada-sama lying while nude!?"

"Ah, yes…the after-effects of Dying-will mode." '_And because she transforms as well.'_

"Glad you came early, we need to talk first before you rest. There's something very important that we must talk about. What I am going to tell stays between us. Is that clear?"

Basil fights down his blush and prepares himself for Reborn's words.

"….Tsunami is not human."

"Reborn-sama! What does thou mean by such words!?"

"Listen."

Reborn begins his explanation from the beginning, way back to the beginning of Tsunami's grandfather Tejinaka Buiiro. Her grandfather was a vampire bat from South America that was brought to Japan by an Italian that studied nature. After the Italian's death, Buiiro was stuck in Japan but was taken in by the native bats and started a family. Buiiro had a special power within him that was passed down to most of his offspring. A spiritual power that attracted the attention of a god that employed Buiiro and his family to work for him. Buiiro has been alive for 100-years and had Nana as his latest child. Nana was a vampire bat and Iemitsu married her not knowing of her bloodline. Tsunami is half human, half bat. She feeds on blood, has animal strength and instinct along with the Vongola bloodline. Tsunami is only cooperating with Reborn and the Mafia to keep her mother and her family's secret. Nobody but her guardians can know of her true self. Not even her father.

After his explanation of Tsunami's family history and the rules of keeping her a secret, he looks upon Basil's stun face.

"Re-reborn-dono, what thou hath just proclaimed is the truth?"

Reborn nods, "During this second stage, you will see her true form. She would be reluctant, but I have told you about her and will assure her that you are trustworthy. Don't be afraid her…she's already afraid of herself."

"I shall do my best to be of service to Sawada-sama in every way needed. I am prepared."

"Good. I suggest you lie down and rest. Try to make yourself sleep as much as possible. Training will resume in the night. Tsunami can't train during the day; it hurts her because of her allergy. It seems whatever brand of lotion she used over the summer is of short supply…a shame."

Basil peeks over to the bed. His face brightens slightly at her naked body. He clears his throat and goes to the bathroom. He returns from the bathroom with a towel, a fresh one that had been set there from a previous visit. Using the towel he covers her body. With Tsunami a little decent, Basil looks over her face.

'Sawada-sama…I hath only seen thee in photos of your childhood. It was not until I was given this mission by Master that I was lent of photo of thou's current visage.' Basil smiles softly as he retains his blush. 'My, thou art fair in person.'

Tsunami woke up and found a letter on her pillow from Reborn. She had orders to get dressed and meet him in the theater room. She dresses and drinks a blood packet before leaving her room. It didn't escape her notice that there was an unfamiliar scent in the room. When she got the theater she found Reborn with Basil.

"Oh, Basil-san! You're okay!"

Basil nods, "Yes, it is thanks to Romario-san and my Master. I congratulate thee for how quickly thou hath progressed."

Tsunami blush, "Oh, thank you!"

Tsunami already had her fill of blood…but, Basil's pure, sweet Italian blood made her crave for a bit more. There was another scent on Basil. It was old but…it smelled of…her father.

"I am here for thee in thy training."

"What!? Help me? You can't!"

"Sawada-sama, Reborn has already addressed me of thy parentage. It is an amazing tale. Reborn-dono has assured me that training with thee would prove that the tale is indeed fact. If it is…I will accept thee and swear that I will tell no other of what thou will reveal. Not even to my Master! I promise thee," he bows at 90 degrees.

"Reborn…" Tsunami whines.

"It will be fine, Tsunami…let's begin!"

He fires. Basil stands tall as he balls his fists. Tsunami roars "reborn" and her words turn into an inhuman shriek. Her arms branches out, becoming leathery wings, she stands on her toes as her foot extends. Tsunami had been wearing a large orange t-shirt that covered the shorts she was wearing and her thigh-high woolen socks. The socks changed with her transformation becoming gauntlets while exposing her toe-claws. Her shirt was in tatters though there was enough fabric to cover her…"bits". Tsunami snarls at she crouches on all fours. Her ears twitch and her nose quiver as her red eyes gleams over Basil. Basil whispers in Italian.

"Tsunami, Basil is your opponent. Defeat him with your dying will!" Reborn blows on his whistle.

Basil slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out a pill. He pops it into his mouth and his eyes glow blue as a blue flame bursts over his brow. Tsunami roars and charges. Tsunami uses her wings. She always started the fight with her wings. Reborn had done some research on bats and asked her cousins questions. Bats fought with the wings. Their wings were large and had great reach. They never use their teeth; it was their tool to survive. Basil had to keep his distance. He knew that those powerful wings would pack a mighty blow. Though powerful, Tsunami had several openings he could take advantage. Another punch of her wing, Basil grabs the "thumb" claw of her wing.

"If thou can hear me, Sawada-sama…thou relies on thine instincts too much. Thou fight like a beast! Thou must control thyself!"

Basil's flame burns brightly, he pulls on her thumb and she yelps in pain as she is pulled forward. He throws an elbow jab into the center of her chest. There was great energy from the blow and Tsunami is sent across the room and through a wall! Basil takes a breath.

"Incredible!"

"Heh, imagine my surprise when I first saw her transformed in Hyper-mode."

"Thou was surprised!?" Basil shakes his head. "I can't believe that."

"Watch out."

Tsunami leaps back inside through the hole in the wall. She growls at Basil, narrowing her red eyes. Her flame flares brighter then Basil's and she was on the attack again.

"Her flame burns so brightly! It's too much! Control thine energy!"

Basil meets her halfway. This time, Tsunami unfolds her wings to take flight. While in flight, she twists herself to use her legs and feet to attack Basil.

"Too wild! Don't fight like the animal thine are! Think! Be clever as a human and use thine strength and flame appropriately!"

Reborn was impressed with Basil's strength and endurance. He was able to fight Tsunami by using her power against her. As an animal, her techniques were basic and repetitive. They must train her out of that. It wouldn't due for her to be brought down like an animal by the Varia. The battle would be quick and it would be the end of Tsunami and her familgia. He only hopes that Basil's words reached Tsunami and she heeds them.

They had five days before the Varia arrive.


	5. Chapter 5: The Varia Arrive

KatekyoHitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

KatekyoHitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Five: The Varia Arrive

"Breaking news in Namimori! Several cases of extreme exhaustion have struck several Namimori citizens. The victims range between the ages of 14 to male adults. They were found unconscious in streets and alleys. After being taken to the hospital, they would wake up days later, but none of the victims can recall what they were doing before they woke up…"

Hibari Sr. watches the large flat screen TV in his study. He picks up a cup of tea and takes a sip. It was mystery to the common people, but not to him. It was more than just exhaustion. Hibari had visited a few of the victims and examined them. He had seen on their bodies, mostly around their neck and shoulders red lines like claws over their skin. It was the work of a spirit. It was feeding off the energy of the humans. Their energy was nearly drained and if the spirit had completely taken everything it would have killed them. The spirit didn't seem malevolent however. It only took at much as the humans could live without. The spirit was very careful. It hardly left a trace for Hibari Sr. to be able to track it properly. It annoyed him very much. It was a reminder that his spiritual powers were waning.

He would have tasked Tsunami to investigate these spiritual occurrences. She had grown greatly and was becoming stronger than him. However, the girl was nowhere to be found. He tried calling her home but no one was answering.

* * *

Tsunami in Dying-Will mode was lasting longer than five minutes. She was also looking less animal and more human. As of now, the skin of her wings was gone. Her arms were still rather long and her fingers tipped with claws. The large bat ears had shrunk considerably leaving them with small points. It was a sure sign that Tsunami was learning to control herself better. The flame was under control, not burning as brightly. Tsunami was fighting not on the offensive, but on the defensive. She watched Basil carefully now and reacted to his attacks with cleverness, using Basil against himself. Between their fights, the bond between each other had formed quickly. Basil allowed Tsunami to take blood from him. His blood had an herbal taste to it and it was delightful! When they rested Tsunami snuggled Basil. Basil obliged with little embarrassment. Perhaps it was because other than Reborn, he was the only male companion about. The others were away also training as hard as Tsunami.

Tsunami finally claimed victory over Basil by wrapping herself around him and giving him a great head butt, ending their last fight in a knockout. He came to later when the moon was high and the stars were twinkling. He found himself in Tsunami's room lying beside her in her human form.

"Basil-san."

"Sawada-sama…ah!" Basil winces. Touching his forehead he feels a slight lump.

Tsunami leans closer and kisses the lump, "I'm sorry."

"No, thou hath bested me. It was most impressive. Thou art able to control thyself now."

"Yes!" Tsunami beams and lifts her rosary bracelet. The red bead was glowing and now a yellow bead was aglow. "I activated another of my beads!"

"Sawada-sama, that is a part of thy's training of priesthood? Ah, alas, it appears that a bead hath yet to a light."

Muladhara, the physical body and Manipura, the yellow chakra of the mind were lit. But there was a dull orange bead in between them. Muladhara was brought to life when Tsunami pushed her body to the maximum. Manipura was achieved when Tsunami was able to think during the mad rush of Dying-will mode. Tsunami would like to think that the meditation between fighting and while sleeping were also helpful. The bead that was skipped over was Svadisthana. Svadisthana extended from Muladhara. Muladhara represents the physical form of the body. Svadisthana was the energy of the body, providing warmth and power to the spirit.

"Basil-san? Would you like to help me wake up one of the beads?"

"I'll be glad to help thee!"

Tsunami smiles at Basil and moves aside his hair to see his face fully.

"Basil-san is very cute. You have a good soul as well."

Tsunami sits up and cages Basil with her arms. Basil gasps from Tsunami's very intimate posture over him. Tsunami leans close and kisses the corner of his lips.

"Svadisthana, the orange chakra…is achieved by creating great physical energy. The best and most fun way is through experiencing a spiritual high from physical bliss."

Basil gazes at the lovely girl above him. Her eyes were a pinkish hue, like the eyes of a white rabbit. But her expression didn't have the lovely sweetness his photo of her other had. Never would he imagine that such a sultry expression would be on her face. Her clothes were torn from her transformation and from the energy of Dying-Will mode. She crawls higher over him to loom her face over his. He hears a gentle growl vibrating from her throat. A whisper of his name was soft and sweet like honey on her lips. Basil's heart was beating rapidly. He was nervous. No, terrified! It wasn't because of what she was! Heaven's no! Her face was getting closer and closer, her lips…her lips seemed red as blood. Her hot breath mingled with his. He was lost in her gaze, so hypnotic. He couldn't look away. Reality washes over him like a bucket of ice water when she presses the entire length of her body against his.

"NO!" Basil sits up. "No! I can't!"

Tsunami was startled by Basil's strong rejection. She leans away from him sitting on her legs. She looks down hiding her face with her hair. Basil grabs her hand and holds it.

"Sawada-sama! Do not take my reaction to heart! It is not thou that I hath rejected thee!"

"Then…what?" Tsunami keeps her head down and hidden.

"It is…it is….uh…"

"Basil-san…" Tsunami wraps her arms around his neck. "I don't think this is wrong…kiss me, please."

"Ah…ah…ah….I would love to kiss thee…but I fear my Master's wrath for partaking from your lips!"

Tsunami only pulls away about an inch and frowns, "What does this 'master' have to do with me?!"

She was getting impatient. She hadn't seen any of her male friends in five days! They were hard at work doing whatever it was to prepare for the Varia's coming. Five days without their affection or words. Basil had been the only one around her. She felt a little bad being a bit pushy with Basil…but it was an itch she wanted to scratch. Lucky for Basil she wasn't at her peak. She growls gently and coos Basil's name again. Basil felt that he was become entranced once more. He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head.

"No! I can't betray my Master's trust! Thou art important to him…because…because…"

"Basil….?"

"Sawada-sama, Master…forgive me!...Sawada-sama, my master…is your father!"

She huffs and leans against Basil, hugging him around his neck, "….I knew that. Just wanted you to confirm it."

"Sawada-sama…how...?"

"It's old…but my dad's scent is on you. Tell me, did my dad teach you how to speak Japanese?"

"Yes, milady."

Tsunami's brow twitches. That moron taught Basil Olde Japanese! How the heck did that happen?

"Dummy," she draws her knees to her chest and wraps around them.

Basil was stunned. "W-what was the meaning of thy deception earlier!?"

"Basil-san." Tsunami sighs. "My dad is your 'master'…he taught you a lot of things, didn't he?"

"Indeed. Master, thy father, is a strong and amazing man! He is known as the Young Lion of the Vongola! He taught me many things. How to fight…gather information…spying. So many things! I…didn't have any family…he found me and took me in without question when I was young!"

Basil's eyes lit up as he blabbered on about her father. Tsunami watches him talk animatedly. He and her father did a lot of things together.

"…must've been nice to be close to MY dad, huh?"

Basil was shocked by the disgust in her voice. Realization strikes him like a bolt of lightning.

"Are thou envious?"

"Please!" Tsunami rolls her eyes. "Why would I be jealous of you, who have been with my father more than his own flesh and blood? Teaching you valuable things about a dangerous underground world; which he left up to a baby to tell me the big news! I was five when he left me…how old were you when he found you!"

Basil swallows, "Er…I was five myself…"

Tsunami bit her lip, "Gods!" she buries her face into knees. "That's so unfair!"

Basil watch her shoulders shake as she cries. He had thought Tsunami and Iemitsu had reconciled. Iemitsu had told him about their talk after her friend, Nekomasa, was killed. The man believed that they had closure. Basil was getting a feeling that Tsunami still wasn't happy with her father. There was obviously some resentment still there…and she had taken her frustrations out on him! Tsunami cries until she couldn't cry anymore. When she was down to sniffles, Basil gallantly pulls out a handkerchief and offers it to her. She thanks him and cleans herself up.

"I'm…sorry. For making you uncomfortable." She mumbles.

He accepts her apology with a nod.

"But, honestly…" Tsunami smiles, "I would like to kiss you. You're really cute and I feel…" She blushes.

Basil confirmed it for her. Tsunami had a thing for male humans! None of the males among the Tejinaka had ever held her attention. It was a little embarrassing. Her female cousins and friends of the clan would squeak and squeal of a handsome devil of a bat and she seemed to be the odd one out. Not seeing what's so wonderful of the male. She wasn't sure why she found humans more appealing. Maybe it was their blood? Maybe it was because the bonds that formed between them on trust and acceptance was more powerful. She flushes as she thinks of Hayato. Hayato was sweet and passionate when they were alone. He was also obliging…he spoiled her, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. Takeshi was a wonderful friend! He was like a refreshing downpour with his real, happy smiles and his easy laugh. It was so nice when Takeshi would copy her bat ways. It was flattering. Ryohei…gods, he was intoxicating! Tsunami was glad that he was in another class. His heat made her blood boil. He still kisses her…of course, now he does it in secret, after getting scolded by his sister. There were a few times that he had nearly set her ablaze and she would have …

Tsunami moans and covers her now red cheeks.

"Sawada-sama…"

"G-give me a minute…you're so cute! I need to calm down!"

Ah! She wasn't even in her heat peak…why did bats have to be in season all year around?!

"What's this…cheating on your boys, Tsunami?"

Tsunami and Basil were scared near half to death by Reborn. Tsunami protests to Reborn that it wasn't what it looked like…and she wasn't in a romantic relationship with anybody, yet. But though she protested she did felt a little guilty. What was she going to do? With a huff Reborn doesn't dwell on the teenage drama, for now. Reborn was about to start another training session when Tsunami's cell goes off. Tsunami reaches to the end table for her phone. Looking at the screen, she sees that it was Haru calling.

"Hello? Haru-chan?"

"Tsunami-sempai!"

Tsunami is immediately alert by the quiver and tone of worry in Haru's voice, "Haru-chan? What's wrong?"

"I…I'm sorry, sempai! But, I don't know what's wrong exactly…but I know that something bad is going happen! It's only a feeling…am I going crazy?"

"Calm down, Haru-chan. You're not going crazy."

Haru had been growing in her training and Tsunami was beginning to sense that Haru was on the path of becoming a diviner like Futa. Haru would have a feeling that something bad was happening or going to happen. It could range from simply dropping a plate or the time she felt that Tsunami was in danger while fighting Mukuro.

"What's wrong?"

"Hahi! I'm so sorry! The kids! Lambo-chan, Ipin-chan and Futa-chan. They were with Kyoko-chan and me…but we somehow lost track of them. I wasn't too worried…but that awful feeling came over me and I feel that they're in danger!"

"What? The kids are in danger?"

"It's really bad, sempai! Please, you have to find them!"

Tsunami assures Haru that she would find them. As she was talking with Haru, Basil's own cell goes off. Tsunami could pick up the voice on the other line. It was her father and from the sounds of it…he was walking…limping…and grunting awkwardly, but he was outside.

"Basil, where are you and Tsunami? Our 'friends' from a far have arrived sooner than expected."

Tsunami felt the blood drain down to the pit of her stomach making her ill. Iemitsu admits that he miscalculated the prowess of someone named Xanxus. Iemitsu was on his way to find what guardians he can. Mukuro and Hayato's whereabouts were still a mystery. Tsunami forgets that Haru was on the phone until Haru begins to yell and she hears Kyoko trying to calm Haru down. Tsunami apologizes and quickly tells her that everything would be fine and hangs up. She leaps off the bed and begins looking for suitable clothes. She pulls on whatever was in reach.

"Reborn! I have to find the kids! Haru says they're in danger! I have to find them before whatever bad thing happens to them…and the Varia are here, too!"

Basil was a bit startled that Tsunami knew what was going on!

"Yes, we have to hurry," Reborn agrees. "With the Varia here they would more than likely send their Lightning squad which is lead by one of their own guardians, Leviathan. If they go after the guardians they would be trying to take their half-rings. Leviathan would be after the Lightning ring half."

"Reborn-san? Who has the Lightning half-ring?"

"….Tsunami. Don't panic."

Tsunami looks down on Reborn and her heart races as she panics despite Reborn's warning.

"Reborn…who has the ring?!"

* * *

"I'M HUNGRY!" wails little Lambo.

Lambo was throwing tantrum. He pulls on Futa's pant leg making the slightly older boy struggle to walk. Lambo gripes and wails, demanding Futa to pick him up and carry him home. But Futa wasn't having none of Lambo's pettiness. Futa was upset with the cow-child for it was his fault for getting them lost in the first place. They were with Kyoko and Haru but lagged behind on the escalator when Lambo dropped his horn. Lambo insisted that it wasn't his fault. His horn "jumped"! The naïve children were unaware of the danger that was stalking them. A shadow was following them from the roof tops. It observes them carefully before reaching up to an earpiece it was wearing and makes a report. He reports his position and of the children to a tall and dark man in a long, black jacket. On the man back were eight extremely thin blades. The man reaches up to his ear to receive the report.

"Target approaching. It's three children, nothing unusual about them."

"One of those kids has the ring, according to Mammon's psychic predictions."

Two other voices announce themselves in the man's ear piece. They state their positions and inform him that it was clear of witness.

"Kill them Uno. Due and Tre, back him up."

Tsunami was furious! Furious with Reborn, her father and the mafia! She was beginning to think that Mukuro had the right idea of destroying the mafia! Getting children involve with the violence! How could they have made Lambo a guardian!? He's only five-years old! Five! Her eyes were a brilliant vermillion of rage! Her fangs were unsheathing half way, just hanging out under her upper lip. She gnashes and grinds them. She had flown away from Kokuyo Land, bursting out of the open glass door on the balcony. Reborn was able to quickly latch onto her back. Once back in the suburbs of Namimori, Tsunami lands on a roof and sends out a burst of a Soul Wave. She was focused on the little souls of her children and instantly got a hit. They were moving quickly and there was a menacing soul after them. Tsunami leaps from roof to roof. She was a blur and through her panic, worry and anger she was mindful to keep to the shadows though nobody would see her. She lands on all fours on the street and glares down the road. It was empty and clear of people. Reborn knocks his little fist on the top of her head.

"Tsunami! Your wings."

With a hiss, Tsunami's wings form into arms and hands. She kept her eyes on the road and there was a yell. It was Futa!

"Stay away!"

Futa had Ipin and Lambo in each hand as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him from a man dressed in all black in a long coat and a mask. In his hand was a long thin blade. He was bearing down on them and was prepared so slash across their backs.

Tsunami shot down the street like a bullet. She screams for them to duck…they see her approaching fast saw her eyes and instantly did as they were told. The man makes an attack and was surprised to have missed them. He had heard somebody yell and looked up to see an orange sneaker! Tsunami launches a great flying kick into the man's face. He was sent sailing back down the street before hitting the ground. His body skips and rolls until he hits a wall. He was not getting up tonight. Tsunami swiftly gathers up the children into her arms and snuggles them.

"Oh thank the gods! I made it in time!"

"Nee-chan!" the children clung to her tightly.

Lambo pulls away and looks into Tsunami's eyes, "Nee-chan! You're eyes are all red! Gyahahaha! Nee-chan was crying a lot, huh?"

Tsunami blinks and her eyes go from red to brown, "Ah…Lambo-chan, I…"

Ipin yells out in her native tongue. Another man just like the other one she had brought down had made a flying leap from the roof and was preparing to stab his blade down on upon her. There was a crack and an explosion. A powerful force hits the man in the side and he spins in the air before hitting the ground with a thump.

"You've just had your clocked clean by the Vongola Guardian of the Sun Ring…as well as Colonello-sensei's number one trainee! Sasagawa Ryohei….know it!"

"Oni-san!" Tsunami cries happily.

Ryohei gives Tsunami a thumbs up, "Heh, call me Ryohei-kun!"

"Whooooa that was amazing, sempai!" Takeshi stands beside him with a shinai, a wooden practice sword of bamboo.

"Takeshi-kun!"

"Yo! Tsu-chan! Are you and the kiddies all right?"

There was third man watching his two allies get taken down instantly. He turns on the roof to escape but was met by a boy. At his feet was a pair of cats, one black and the other a Siamese. The boy had silver-gray hair that was slicked back. There were a few strands of hair that had escaped. The Siamese meows lowly and the black cat flicks his ear.

"I see." The boy grins baring fangs. "Thanks for keeping me informed."

The cats bow to the boy and scamper off the roof. The boy had a white stick in his mouth. It clicked against his teeth as he sucks on it.

"You're one of the Varia huh? You must be a mere peon if your other comrades were taken down by children so easily~! You came early, that's good. That means I can avenge my death sooner…"

The man sweats. There was something strange about the kid. His alarms was blaring inside his head that he was dangerous! He was saying strange things. How could the kid avenge his own death? If he was alive and standing before him? The man draws his thin blade and dashes forward. The kid stood casually, with his hands in his pockets. Closer and closer, his blade pointed at the his throat. As he drew closer a sense of dread fills his heart. There was no fear in the kid's acidic green eyes with pupils as thin as a strand of hair. He was following through with his blade and the tip was millimeters away from piercing his throat. The boy smirks and disappears! The man gasps as a hand grabs his shoulder from behind. The hand had many rings on his fingers. The kid chuckles in his ear.

"What does your soul taste like?"

The fingers on the shoulder dig in painfully. The boy opens his mouth and breathes in. The man feels himself becoming drained. His arms drop and his body becomes heavy. He found himself unable to breath… breathing was taxing on his body! The man's knees buckle and he goes limp, but the boy's one-handed grip on his coat holds him up as he continues to absorb his life energy. His mouth clamps close and he swallows creating a large bulge in his throat. He smacks his lips and shivers. He drops the man harshly.

"Ahhhh, delicious."

Tsunami shivers as she looks up at the roof. Takeshi asks if something was wrong. Tsunami continues to stare. She places the children behind her as a figure leaps from the roof she was staring at and lands before them with a heavy thud. The figure rises and it was the tall man that was giving orders to the other three. He looks down on them and sneers. He sees the two bodies of his subordinates.

"You did this…My target with the Lightning Ring, is that kid?"

He zeroes in on Lambo. Lambo clings to Tsunami's leg. The man grabs two of his weapons on his back.

"Anyone who interferes…DIES!" he roars.

Tsunami roars back, "STAY AWAY!" Her eyes become red once more.

The man visibly flinches from the girl's tone and her flashing eyes. She was staring him down. Suddenly, Reborn kicks her in the head. Her red eyes go out as she groans while rubbing the back of her head.

"Reborn!" she whines.

"Calm down! You'll give yourself away!" he hisses low enough for her to hear alone.

Reborn had been wondering what was going on with Tsunami. Since she confronted Mukuro, she had been a little aggressive. Especially with her father around, she had been on edge. She even was brave enough to make a swipe at him, mostly when she was in Dying-will mode. He had to get with one of the Tejinaka cousins to understand what she was going through. Tsunami hasn't noticed her own change in behavior.

"Wait, Levi~!"

More figures appear from behind the man and land beside him. It was a group in dark, leather clothing. There were five of them that joined the man called Levi now. There was a being that stood behind Levi that was giant compared to Levi. His face was covered in a mask with goggle-like eyes and pipes coming out of the bottom. There was a boy possibly of their age. He had blonde hair with a heavy fringe that hides his eyes. Nestling at a tilt in his golden locks was a tiara. Under his coat was a horizontally stripped shirt of black and purple. Covering the lower half of his face was a wide toothy grin. It reminded Tsunami of a cat from a storybook, Alice in Wonderland. Next was another man, with a rather lady-like tilt of the hip. He wore shades with lenses so dark that you couldn't see his eyes. His hair was a small green-dyed mohawk with shaven sides. His jacket was stylish with a large furry trim. At the groups feet was a little baby draped in a dark cape and hood! Tsunami notices the pacifier he wore, just like Reborn's and his friends!

"HEY!"

The white-haired man was back! He was grinning like a mad man, but there was anger in his wild gray eyes.

"VOOOOOOI! You guys tricked me! Not nice! Which one of you brats has the Rain Ring!?"

Takeshi grips his sword, "That would be me."

"Oh….you, eh? I will slice and dice you in three seconds!"

"Well, this is disappointing!"

Tsunami gasps at the voice. She turns towards it and sees Hayato sitting on the corner edge roof of a two-story house.

"Hayato-kun!" '_No! Wait…that's…is it Hayato-kun? There's something different about him_?!"

Hayato stood, hands in his pockets and steps off the roof. Tsunami and her friends nearly panicked but were surprise to see Hayato land on the ground, crouched on the balls of his feet. He stood up easily and saunters over. It was Hayato! Yet, not! His aura was of Hayato. She felt his stormy passion along with something that wasn't of Hayato. It was cool, but with a hidden, terrible strength that was familiar. It was…old and oozed confidence. Just like…just like…

Tsunami gasps when Hayato's face hovers over hers. Hayato's grin softens as he gazes upon her. Tsunami blushes at the desire and love in his bright-green eyes…wait…

"Ne…"

"VOOOOI! KNOCK IT OFF! THAT'S DISGUSTING! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE TO GET LOST IN YOUR LITTLE WORLD IN FRONT OF US!"

"Hayato" clicks his tongue and narrows his eyes at Squalo, "Ugh, how unpleasant to hear you howling, Sea Dog Bitch!" "Hayato" covers his nose, "Ugggh, you still haven't bathed either!" He waves his hand, "Phew, you STILL reek of old sea water and wet fur!"

The man in sunglasses gasps dramatically, placing a gloved hand on his chest, "Ohhhh, no you didn't! You got some nerve, little boy!"

Squalo growls and moves forward. His shoulder was grabbed by Levi and he is yanked back and shoved behind him.

"Stand back…!" Levi snaps. "This is my gig!"

Squalo prepares to retort but both he and Levi still when a dark and heavy presence looms behind them. Tsunami felt it too! The person behind him had a dark soul! It reminded her of Mukuro before she purified it, but much, much darker and filled with hatred and wrath. The hair on the back of her neck rose. Even her hair flares up slightly like a cat trying to make itself bigger out of fear! The group stands aside letting a man with red eyes of his own and scars across his face stand before them. His dark hair tousled and spiky making him like look like a rogue, dark-mane lion. The man instantly locks eyes with Tsunami directing all his hate and anger specifically on her. Her soul felt like it was under pressure, she couldn't breathe! She didn't like this feeling!

Her instincts were screeching from within not to show weakness! This man was an alpha! Don't back away! You're an alpha too!

She bows her head to look away from his cutting gaze. The man snorts and smirks in victory but then…even from where he stood; he heard a growl coming from her. Squalo's eyes widen. The other Varia heard it too and watch intently with confusion. The growl grows louder, like a rumbling storm coming from a distance. Tsunami clenches and unclenches her fists. Her friends around her were also watching. Hayato and Takeshi knew it was her bat-side and looked at each other unsure of what to do. Reborn doesn't risk kicking her again. He felt Xanxus' overbearing aura too. Tsunami's bat-side was responding to it and didn't like what it was feeling. It felt threatened, not for just Tsunami…but for her family. She and her family were being threatened and Tejinaka bats protect the ones they love!

Tsunami raises her head and once again her eyes switch color. Her eyes were at their most red, a deeper lustrous color than Xanxus's smoldering gaze.


	6. Chapter 6: Stress Relief

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Six: Stress Relief

Xanxus couldn't believe that this girl was a candidate to be the tenth boss of the Vongola! But even more shocking was that she was standing against him! Feet firmly planted and with a ferocious fire in her eyes that nearly matched his in color and resolve. There was no fear in her and that pissed him off! She should be afraid of him! She was nobody! Nothing! Her only ties to the mafia was the blood from a long-dead nobody!

"Tsunami Sawada!" he snarls.

The cool night air becomes as dry as summer. Tsunami and her familgia could feel their skin begin to burn. Takeshi, Ryohei and the kids couldn't move. Nekomasa feels the pressure of rage and intent to kill from the man! It was incredible. Tsunami could feel her friends' souls waver becoming filled with fear! She takes a step forward, placing herself before them and her soul flares around her.

"Soul Barrier!"

Her soul extends and becomes a shield around her familgia. They found themselves able to breathe easy again. The Varia was stunned. Who was this girl and how was she able to stand against Xanxus?

Xanxus' fury rises and he roars.

"DIE!"

Before Xanxus or Tsunami could make a move, a pick axe buries itself between them. Seeing the axe Tsunami gasps in surprise and her eyes return to normal. She begins to quiver and her teeth chatters in distress. Reborn senses it was safe and leaps onto Tsunami's shoulder. He puts a hand on her cheek.

"What is going on with you, Tsunami?"

"I…I don't know, Reborn." Tsunami whispers. "But, I'm scared."

'…_I'm calling your family when we get back home_,' Reborn promises himself.

Iemitsu walks to stand between the two groups with Basil and another man, possibly another subordinate that worked under him. Iemitsu tells Xanxus to wait. He glances at his daughter for a brief moment. Disbelief and confusion flickered in his eyes. Tsunami becomes nervous and avoids his gaze. Reborn smirks to himself. Iemitsu had dismissed Tsunami's spiritual abilities and never considered that it would be of any use against the Varia. He was probably rethinking his opinions now. Hayato's nose quivers and his eyes widen when he realizes that the man's scent was like Tsunami's! Nekomasa confirmed it and Hayato blurts out his discovery. Nekomasa sighs with Hayato's breath and mumbles, "not cool". Takeshi and Ryohei stare at him oddly. Hayato's personality kept flip-flopping back and forth and he was talking to himself. The Varia was not happy to see Iemitsu, but the man held his ground. Iemitsu claims they were awaiting further orders directly from the Ninth.

"Papa, what's going on?!" Tsunami calls out.

"Your father is the outside advisor to the Vongola. It's an office held by someone outside of the family." Reborn explains and continues, "He has the authority to serve as boss in times of severe crisis. Essentially, he's the Boss' number two."

"W-what!?" Tsunami gasps.

"When choosing successors, the outside advisor has as much of a say as the Boss. It is he that gives half the Vongola rings to a chosen successor. There are two halves to each ring and proof of succession is when the rings halves are both attained. You need the other half." Reborn looks at the Varia. "It's rare that a boss and the outside advisor choose two different successors."

Basil is given two scrolls from Iemitsu. One is given to the Varia side, placed into Xanxus' hand and the other was given to Tsunami. Taking the scroll, she unravels it and when it was straightened a flame flashes at the top of the page as a letterhead. The flame felt a tiny bit familiar but Tsunami was more perplexed in reading the letter however. It was written by the Ninth in Italian. Iemitsu helps Tsunami out and translates for all to hear. The Ninth had once regarded Tsunami as a candidate for succession, now he no longer stands first in his choices of candidates. The Ninth had become increasingly aware of his own mortality and has decided to choose another candidate far worthier; his own son, Xanxus.

Tsunami gazes on Xanxus again. So he was the Ninth's son and the Ninth now wanted him to be the future Boss. So why did they had to fight? She didn't want to be the boss!

There had been objections; such as Iemitsu's objection of the Ninth's choice and insisted that Tsunami should be the boss. Tsunami bit her lip to keep herself from growling. Her father was the instigator! She grips the paper tightly. Hence, there will be a duel, a combat tournament, with one-on-one battles between the bearers of their respective half rings. Nekomasa snorts, he looks down on his ring, the Storm. Takeshi had the Rain and will face the one who had killed him.

Next to arrive, were the assigned judges. Two women with lilac hair, tan skin and wearing domino masks arrive. The addressed themselves as the Cervello Agency. They would be ruling over the matches as the Ninth's will. When asked if there were any objections, it was Iemitsu that objected. He had never heard of the Cervello, but he was overruled. So much for being number two! The Cervello give further instruction that at the current time of 11 o' clock, the matches would be held at Namimori School. With that the Cervello disappear. Xanxus smirks at Tsunami, but Tsunami directs a glare towards her father. Then, with spin of her heel she approaches one of her guardians and grabs him by the collar and drags him away. The one she grabbed was Hayato. Her guardians were quick to follow.

"Stay away, Papa! I need to talk to MY guardians!" she snaps.

Iemitsu smiles and shrugs.

Tsunami drags Hayato to an empty lot. She grips his shirt collar with both her hands and she yells into his face.

"Nekomasa-sama! Why are you in Hayato's body!? You're dead!"

Looking into Hayato's core she sees their souls! Hayato's soul was red. Nekomasa's soul was indigo. She was stunned to see that their souls were merging. It had taken a red-indigo hue, a murky red color. As it moved around each other she could see the two individual souls peeking out.

"What have you done, Nekomasa-sama!? Why!?"

"To survive." Nekomasa answers "And for revenge. That sea dog is going to pay most dearly for killing me!"

"But what of Hayato's soul! What's going to happen to him, Nekomasa-sama?"

"Boss…Hime…" Hayato flickers in his eyes becoming his forest green for a moment. "It's okay, Hime."

"I'm hurt, Tsunami!" Nekomasa purrs.

He cups her cheeks into his hands and holds her to look into his eyes. Leaning down he kisses her forehead.

'_Nekomasa_!' Hayato blushes internally.

"I know how much you care for Hayato. I knew it would have broken your heart if I made Hayato's soul disappear. I'm sure you seen our souls fusing together. In time, our souls will completely merge. It may take days, months or years but we will become one mind, one soul. Being in Hayato indefinitely, I have seen his past and he has seen mine. It's incredible really. He and I are quite similar. We struggled on the streets to survive from a very young age. We had no one but ourselves to depend on. The only difference between him and I is that he is utterly pathetic and is too eager to please others. He needs to please himself before he goes pleasing you." Nekomasa smirks. "He will learn now. Both our lives depend on it."

"…But, I still don't understand. Your souls shouldn't be 'merging' so easily…"

"Hah, well that's simple. If two souls agree on something, something they feel strongly for, their souls become compatible. Us being together works because we're both in lo…"

Hayato's hands slap over his mouth. The eyes of Nekomasa had been wiped away by forest green filled with panic and embarrassment. Tsunami tilts her head.

"Hayato-kun?"

"I….I….I got to go now!"

Hayato runs away and promises to see Tsunami tomorrow night! Tsunami stares after Hayato until she feels someone tugging on her pant leg. Looking down she sees the children. It was getting late. She needed to get them home. After saying good-bye to Takeshi and Ryohei, Tsunami takes the children straight home. When Tsunami takes the children to bed, Reborn goes to the kitchen and picks up the phone. Beside the phone was a long list of contact numbers, all the numbers were to certain family members. Reborn dials one of the desired numbers.

"…..This is Reborn. I have some questions regarding Tsunami. She's been very aggressive lately…"

* * *

Tsunami was back in school the next day. Later tonight, would be the first match against the Varia. On top of that, that no-good father that started this crazy thing in the first place was nowhere to be found! Tsunami had some questions for him! This was all her father's fault. Why was he so insistent that she becomes the boss. She didn't want to be! Let the Ninth's son be the boss. She growls to herself. Tsunami was getting so angry that she didn't notice Takeshi coming up behind her till he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Takeshi-kun!"

"Yo! Tsuna-chan!" He grins. "Gotta say, after yesterday I couldn't sleep at all! I can't wait for tonight! At first, it was because I wanted to beat that long-haired guy. I still don't understand why we're fighting but…but thinking about you, Hayato and the others, I realized this is OUR fight. Not just mine!"

Takeshi holds her tighter closer to him, his lips touches her ear, "It's going to be okay. I know you're worried about us. It will be fine."

"Geez, I guess…" Tsunami sighs.

Hayato didn't come to school. Takeshi takes a guess and thinks that Hayato is still training. Tsunami was thinking that Hayato was just embarrassed that Nekomasa nearly blurted out something personal. Even though both Hayato and Nekomasa assured her that they were okay.

On arriving at school, Tsunami is met my Kyoko near their lockers. Kyoko asks Takeshi is she could talk with Tsunami. Takeshi tells Tsunami that he would wait for her in class.

"Morning, Kyoko-chan."

"Sorry, about yesterday with the kids…"

"Oh, no! It's okay. Lambo is a handful and sometimes he drags the other two into his mess. We found them safe and sound!" 'Barely!' thought Tsunami.

Kyoko was gripping her hands together. Tsunami senses that Kyoko wanted to ask her something, she was nervous. Tsunami takes her hand and holds it.

"Kyoko-chan, is something else wrong?"

Well…Ryohei has been acting strange lately. He barely mentions boxing anymore. Do you know anything about that?"

It was times like this that Tsunami was glad she lived among humans! If Kyoko was a Tejinaka she would have heard her heart beating in a panic. Kyoko had no idea that Tsunami brought her brother into something dangerous. Ryohei was sucked into fighting against the mafia! What was she going to say to her? Should she tell the truth?

"Kyoko-chan, I'm sorry…"

"Tsunami-chan!"

Tsunami flinches violently. Ryohei's sudden outburst nearly had thrown her off balance. Ryohei hooks an arm around her waist grinning widely.

"Oh, morning, Kyoko!"

"Oni-san?"

"Sorry, for interrupting, but there's something really, really important I got to talk about with Tsunami-chan!"

"Eh?" Tsunami blinks.

Kyoko looks between the two and grins, "Ohhh, so it's like 'that' then?"

"Huh? Like what?" Tsunami was bewildered.

Ryohei chuckles and swings Tsunami away, with his arm still around her waist. Hana shows up and was surprised to see Ryohei and Tsunami so close. She looks to Kyoko questioningly. Kyoko just smiles at her friend.

"Could it be? Maybe Ryohei and Tsunami are going out!"

"Huh! No-Good Tsuna and your brother?" Hana shouts.

"They were both absent from school," Kyoko begins to blush. "Maybe…maybe they were out doing…"

Hana snorts and gently steers Kyoko to their class, "No way! Get your pretty little head out of the gutter~! There's no way No-Good Tsunami has the nerve to anything dirty."

Ryohei takes Tsunami to one of the overhanging catwalks connecting the school buildings together. They day was cool and cloudy. Luckily the sun wasn't out; Ryohei had pulled her away from her locker where she had put her hat away.

"Tsunami-chan, this might be extreme, but could you not tell Kyoko about the fight. You see, she hates that I like to fight." He touches the scar on his temple. "I got this when I was still in elementary school. There was this punk middle schooler that didn't like me, so he used Kyoko to call me out. When I got there, he and several other juvies were there. It was a trap. They beat me into a pulp and even fractured my skull. Poor Kyoko still thinks that it was her fault…"

"I see."

"It's better that we don't tell her about the fight."

"No! I think it's better that you don't fight at all!" Tsunami yells at him. "Ryohei! These people are not juvies! They're mafia! If we lose these fights they'll have us killed. You can still back down…"

Ryohei slams his hands against the railing. Tsunami is startled as Ryohei stood close enough her to feel his breath.

"Not gonna happen! You need me, Tsunami!" He lifts the ring on a chain from his neck. "I accepted this thing; I'm going to fight for you because I love you."

Tsunami flushes. Ryohei always told he loved her whenever they met. Sometimes he would grab her when she was alone in the hallways, pulling her into closets, empty classrooms or when the boxing clubroom was empty, shower her with kisses, proclaiming his love for her. His eyes held the same passion for her as Hayato and Takeshi did. His body was radiating heat like an oven stove. It made her body flare in response.

"Tsunami-chan?"

"Yes…" she breathes as though she was breathless.

"I was watching you last night…and I remembered something that I saw."

"Yes…" her eyes were half-lidded and dreamy.

"Your eyes were changing colors! That was extremely cool!"

Tsunami snaps out of her dazed. Ryohei noticed! She bit her lip and thinks quickly. She asks Ryohei if the boxing clubroom was empty. Class was just starting, so nobody would there. It was Ryohei's turn to be pulled through the school until they were in the boxing clubroom. Ryohei was taken to the shower room. He was surprised but didn't ask why. He was going to learn the reason from Tsunami very soon. Tsunami shivers after they entered. To a human girl, the boy's shower and locker room might have been a disgusting to have a heart to heart. But the smell of sweat and male testosterone in the air turned her on, but she had a more important task. She keeps a level head and has Ryohei sit on a bench.

"Ryohei-kun, since you're a part of my family, there's something you should know about me. Reborn, Hayato, Takeshi and Kyoya already know about my secret for a long time. So, it's only fair."

She strokes his cheek as she steps back and grabs the bottom edge of her vest. It pulled off and placed beside him. Ryohei grips the edge of the bench. Tsunami smiles a little, smelling the sharp scent of his arousal.

"Heh, don't get ahead of yourself, Oni-san!" she giggles, becoming a little at ease as she unbuttons her shirt. Being that it was a cloudy day, she didn't where an inner shirt. Ryohei chokes when after her school shirt was removed her bra was! She becomes nervous again as she rolls her shoulder. She was going to transform for him. Her joints rub and grind together. Tsunami was taking deep breaths and moans. It was taking great concentration to focus on certain parts of her body. Ryohei sees her eyes becoming red and to his shock, her teeth become long and pointed.

"I'm about to show you…my true self."

He continues to hear bones melding and changing. Tsunami moans and breathes slightly. She was only changing her upper body. That is the most obvious of her being. Fingers branch out and grow, ears move to the top of her and become large and pointed. Completing half her transformation, she looks to Ryohei and it hits her like one of her knockout punches! Ryohei had been excited when she had removed her clothes, but his scent now had tripled. The flush on his cheeks had spread across her face, to the tips of his ears down into his shirt. Nose was flaring and his pupils were blown wide.

"Ryohei-kun?" Tsunami was trembling in pleasure of Ryohei's pleasure.

"I have always thought you were pretty hot…now you're just downright sexy hot! You're my ultimate fantasy!"

He stands and grabs her waist. His eye caresses over the velveteen wings. Large, callous hands gently stroke the webbing. From her wings, he travels his hands up to her ears and he rubs the bases. Tsunami purrs and leans against his hard sculpted chest, buring her face into his neck and begins licking it. Ryohei keens, tilting his head back. Encouraged, she opens her mouth allowing her lower and longer upper fangs of her jaw to lightly cover over his throat. It was as light as a feather, but Ryohei grins at the thought of her fangs penetrating his neck!

"This is extremely, extremely sexy, Tsunami! You have no idea how much a dream come true this is!"

"How so?" a long invisible line was traced from the base of this throat to the tip of his chin. What reach she had!

"I'm extremely into ML!"

"'M…L…?" She pulls her face away puzzled.

"Monster love!"

After a minute of gazing up at him Tsunami snorts and giggles.

ML or monster love, was a kink that has become fairly popular nowadays. She had this conversation with her cousins. One argued that teraphilia (another word for monster-love; _teras_ is Greek for "monster" and –_philia_ is for "love") has been around for a very long time. In many mythologies, supernatural animals have been having sex and have been impregnating or getting pregnant by humans. In Japan, there are many folktales of shape-shifting foxes and cats that turn themselves into beautiful women to marry humans. There were plenty of Greek mythologies of women having sex with animals creating offspring that were born hybrids. It had been an amorous fascination for years and it was coming back in pop culture in manga and anime.

"I have so many manga on ML. Animal girls and monster girls are extremely sexy!"

Tsunami laughs and shakes her head into Ryohei's neck. Ryohei was definitely a fan according to how he was caressing her wings, fur and other non-human extremities. His hands were hot to the touch. Fingers and pads pressed into the shoulder blades, feeling up the base of her wings. She hums arching her back into them.

"Hmmm, you feel a bit tense. Nervous about tonight?"

"Yeah."

"No worries! I'm gonna win! Just leave it to me."

Ryohei grabs Tsunami's bottom and lifts her against her. Tsunami hooks her wings over his shoulders to make her steady. Ryohei lays her on the bench and stands over the bench a straddle and leers down on her. Taking a seat, he slides his hands up her stockings to underneath her skirt. Tsunami couldn't stop smiling. She felt that she really needed this. The fight and the mafia were all gone from her mind….

"Ah! Wait!"

Ryohei stills immediately, "Something wrong? Oh! I forget that you are a year younger than me! Don't worry, I have experience. I won't hurt ya'!"

Tsunami raises her brows to her hairline, "So you had girlfriends before? I thought you were like Takeshi-kun, only have sports on your mind."

"I'm not as oblivious as Yamamoto," Ryohei smirks. "I need stress relief from time to time. The kind that doesn't involve pain," he winks. "I didn't go all the way. It's been awhile since I fell in love with you."

"…You keep saying that. There's something else I need to tell you…it has to do with my family…on the animal side of me. You see, my family practices…uh…polygamy."

"Eh…poly-what?"

"Um, it's when we sort of kind of like more than one person or two. Like, my grandfather has three wives."

Ryohei's own eyebrows rose, "You're saying that you like more than one guy?"

"I…I think so. I see them as potential partners…I have done anything to make them official yet!"

"Hmm…sure, no problem! That's what you are, I can't change that! Now, let's get rid of your stress!"

Tsunami squeaks when Ryohei's hot hands start moving again. Her warm stockings were slid from her legs. After the stockings were tossed over his shoulder, hands catch onto her legs again stroking and squeezing. She could feel Kounami within her soul grow within her. Her eyes become red and dark. Her mouth opens baring her fangs. She hadn't done anything so intimate since Nekomasa took over Hayato in the bushes! Through the foggy lust of her mind she remembers the bead of Svadisthana. She decided to make their intimate moment into a spiritual euphoria. Her soul seeks out Ryohei's soul, nearly flinching away from it. With his current mood his golden yellow soul was on fire. Such incredible passion! Gently her soul connects to Ryohei and she sends her soul's energy along with all her feelings into him while at the same time pulls Ryohei's into her. White light flashes in front of their eyes. Ryohei's hands and fingers continue bringing pleasure into Tsunami, poking and rubbing at her intimacy. Tsunami snarls a challenge at Ryohei before she lifts her leg and pushes Ryohei away. Sitting up she pounces on him, slamming his back on the bench. Ryohei was grinning like mad. He encourages her to be rough! Yells at her to bite and scratch over his body with her fangs and claws! Tsunami takes his request and lunges for his neck clamping down.

Ryohei yells and howls as Tsunami squeaks and growls.

* * *

It was around second period. The previous teacher had left the students on their own to socialize before the next teacher came to teach. Takeshi had been by himself. He was wondering about Tsunami. She missed homeroom and first period! It was strange because Kyoko and Hana had made to class on time after Kyoko had pulled Tsunami to talk about something important. He asked Kyoko what had happened to Tsunami and was told that Kyoko's brother pulled her away from her. Her brother had something to say to her too. Takeshi sits at his desk, half-listening to his classmates, both boys and girls. The classroom door slides open with Tsunami gliding through it glowing and very satisfied. Tsunami makes a beeline towards Takeshi and greets Takeshi with a warm hug, nearly sliding into his lap. Takeshi was surprised to receive such a friendly Tsunami.

"Whoa, Tsuna-chan~! What's up?"

"Mmmm, just wanted to hug you," she bursts into a fit of giggles.

Then the unthinkable! She turns her head and kisses his cheek.

"Tsunami!" Takeshi bursts out laughing. "What's gotten into you!?"

Tsunami replies that it was nothing and just held Takeshi tightly. Tsunami was in such a high mood that she didn't notice Takeshi's fans glaring at her and cursing her out in their minds. They wanted to rip Tsunami to pieces for throwing herself onto their Yamamoto. Boys were envious of their male school idol until one of them realized something.

"Dude! Tsunami's legs!"

All male eyes lock their eyes onto her legs. They were completely naked.

'Damn!' The boys drool.

'Damn you, Sawada!' The girls hiss.

Kyoko and Hana were watching the spectacle. Kyoko was sure that Tsunami was wearing her usual thick, black stockings this morning. She always wore them! Hana was shaking; shaking in disbelief.

"No way…there's no way No-Good Tsuna did the dirty! No. Freaking. Way!" Hana mutters to herself.

Takeshi hugs Tsunami back chuckling obviously happy because Tsunami was happy. He had sensed that Tsunami was a bit on edge. Last night she had been so worried about the kids! She didn't want to play the game. Those Varia guys looked like rough players; especially his paired-up opponent, Squalo. But she was okay now, all happy and snuggly.

On her wrist, a newly activated bead was glowed brilliantly, pulsing with sensuous physical energy.


	7. Chapter 7: The Sun Ring Battle

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Sun Ring Battle

"Thanks for the information…yes…yes. Don't worry. As her tutor I will keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't lose control…I'm the number one hitman, that's why. How hard could it be?"

Reborn hangs up the phone. Leon looks over the brim of the fedora with a worried expression. His tongue flickers rapidly in and out of his mouth. In Reborn's hand was a notepad with information he had taken from his conversation with Tsunami's aunt, Shini. Shini wasn't terribly surprised when Reborn described Tsunami's behavior. He was told that Tsunami was born an alpha. She was chosen by Buiiro to lead the Tejinaka after he had watched and observed her as he tested her instincts and her abilities. What made it final for Tsunami to be the head of the Tejinaka was when her eyes turned red when she first became feral under a full moon. Tejinaka who are born with red eyes are alphas. They have the behavior and instincts to lead a colony of several hundred bats. There are only a few bats that have red eyes. Buiiro had it of course. His red eyes were so dark that it was nearly black at times. Buiiro can use his eyes to have complete control of the clan. He could hypnotize a bat to submit to orders completely. It was very rare that Buiiro would use such power on another Tejinaka. He had quelled other supernaturals, humans and even spirits. Nana and Yoyori were vampire bat children of Buiiro that inherited the red eyes of the alpha. They were other Tejinaka bats that had the red eyes, but their power varied according to their tint.

When a young bat develops into an alpha they are moody and aggressive, quick to anger. They don't like to be push around, especially by someone or something they know are weaker than them. But what gets an alpha's blood riled was when someone they care for is in danger. Alphas are born to lead. Their job is to protect and ensure their loved ones' survival. They would risk their life and being for another. Reborn recalls how Nana had killed an assassin when Tsunami was a child. He had also seen Nana in action with Moretti the Heart stopper and when she killed one of Birds' twins. Though no harm had happened to Tsunami or any of the children, Nana was prepared to eliminate the threat permanently to ensure her family's safety. Nana had shown no fear to anyone that had tried to push her around. For Nana knew that she was more than capable to get rid of a threat! Tsunami was very reluctant to fight for herself, but for the sake of others she was quick to shield them from harm. Alphas were also possessive. Dangerously possessive that went hand and hand with protectiveness. That made sense to Reborn; Buiiro was very reluctant to give Nana up to Iemitsu. To Buiiro, Iemitsu was another male that was taking a love one from him. Buiiro believed that Iemitsu was weak, but sensed that there was something in him that could challenge him. Young male or female Tejinaka would have close relationships with potential partners. Shini mentioned this when Reborn also let the aunt know of Tsunami's intimacy with her male friends. Potential partners are kept close by younger alphas until they are old enough and were ready to have pups together. They have the strength and allure to have more than one mate. They will not let another take their mates no matter what. Last night, Tsunami was close to have going wild on the Varia lackeys and was ready to take Xanxus on right there! Thankfully, her father's presence snapped her out of her rage. Shini suggestion to Reborn was to alleviate the stressors of her mafia training just a smidge and try not to torture Tsunami so much. Reborn didn't tell Shini about the highly dangerous situation Tsunami was in now. Reborn would have to do his best to keep Tsunami calm when she would watch her guardians face the Varia before her own battle with Xanxus. He had to keep Tsunami's mother's bloodline a secret from her father. If he finds outs about Tsunami and Nana, he would lose her cooperation and would lose Tsunami completely to the Tejinaka. Most of all, he wanted to prevent Buiiro's wrath to come upon the Vongola. Reborn didn't want to imagine what would happen.

* * *

Tsunami, Reborn and Lambo were on their way to the school. Lambo raced around her legs, sometimes running behind or in front of her too far. Tsunami would have to chase him if he disappeared out of her sight, which was quick. But, instead of being frustrated, she was laughing and treated it like a game. She had left the house in the morning on edge and irritable. Reborn hoped that her guardians would ease the tension and give her encouragement. They must have done an amazing job. After Reborn finished his conversation with Shini and hung up the phone, Tsunami came home. He went to check on her mood and found that it had turned a complete 180! She was calm and very happy, purring and sashaying through the house. She goes through her daily after-school ritual of taking of her clothes on her way to her room. There were red petals on her skin; her neck, shoulders, chest, stomach and thighs! Reborn knew those marks and the one who placed those marks on her was going to beg for death as he was torturing him!

Getting closer to the school, Tsunami allows Lambo one last chase before sweeping him up into her arms and hugs him. She takes a deep breath. Lambo calls out to her and receives a pat on his head and a warm smile in assurance…but she loses smile.

"Lambo a ring bearer…what was my dad thinking!? Lambo-chan should be in bed…not out with us as we're fighting! It's a joke!"

"It isn't a joke. The choice has been made." Reborn confirms. "So, how was school? Did you feel better after seeing your familgia?"

"They're not familgia! They're my friends! We shouldn't be fighting against these people."

"Do you think that Iemitsu gave you the rings to spite you?"

"…." Tsunami bites her lip.

"He's not a fool, Tsunami. At least, not a complete one nor is he petty. He wouldn't have placed you in this position by giving you the rings unless he saw you as truly worthy of succession."

Tsunami couldn't say anything against that. Though she was mad at her father for leaving her and her mother for nine years and getting her involved in the mafia, she still loved her idiot father. She blames her mom and being a social creature. She turns her head to hide her blush from Reborn's view. He smirks. She meets her friends and apologizes to them for being late. Ryohei smiles and it makes her heart flutter.

"Are you feeling okay, Tsunami-chan?" ask Ryohei.

"Yeah! Extremely okay!" she smiles sweetly.

Ryohei steps closer to her and strokes her cheek. He moves aside a strand of hair over the back of her shoulder, exposing the reddest petal-marking on her neck and kisses it. Hayato and Takeshi were stunned.

"What the hell!?" Hayato snaps.

"Oh!" Takeshi blinks. "Maybe that's what happened at school!"

Ryohei grunts in pain and grabs the top of his head with a hand. Reborn had struck him with a Leon-mallet.

"So it was you. What did you do to Tsunami?"

Ryohei blushes but held a determined and serious expression.

"We…" he looks to Tsunami. "…we…er…we did it! Tsunami was extremely stressed! She also showed me that she's a bat."

Lambo was picking his nose in Tsunami's arms bored, but became interested when Ryohei called Tsunami a bat.

"….you two…'did it'?" Reborn muttered to himself. His fedora shades his eyes.

"'Did it'?" Takeshi tilts head confused.

"'Did it'!?" Hayato growls.

'_Oh, come now!' _Nekomasa snorts within Hayato's head_. 'We had our little fun with her. We would have gone all the way…if it wasn't for those tight pants and ridiculous number of belts…_'

"W-what!?" Hayato yells aloud.

'_Furthermore, you were very much aware that poly-amorous relationships are common practice amongst her clansmen! You had this discussion with her along with Sushi-boy. What was it…it was on that holiday where you gave her presents. Besides, you've been thinking all this time of how unworthy you are of her…so you shouldn't be upset that Tsunami's virginity has been taken, boy._'

Hayato groans and was by her side, "Boss, I hope that turf-top wasn't horribly rough with you! Can you walk? Do you need to sit down!?"

Tsunami huffs and shakes her head. "I'm fine, Hayato-kun. Ryohei-kun was very…"

_Growls and moans in the air…_

_Hot hands, hot tongue on her skin…_

_Teeth nipping and biting…_

_Claws gripping hard muscles…_

_Rred lines drawn on tough, sweaty skin…_

_Rough fingers, blunted nails digging into her hips…_

_Heat, heat, heat….hot, hot, hot…deep, deep inside!_

Tsunami licks her lips, stealing a glance at Ryohei before kissing Hayato's nose.

"It was good." She whispers shyly.

Hayato sighs and rests his chin on her shoulder.

"Boss…~!" Hayato whines. "At least…you feel better, I guess…"

'_Well, now that she's broken in…we don't have to worry about hurting her that much, right boy_?' Nekomasa purrs.

Hayato hopes that Tsunami doesn't feel or see his blush while it was pressed into her shoulder. Reborn lifts his head, smiling with his dark eyes gleaming down on Ryohei. The boxer shivers. Behind the little hitman's eyes and adorable smile there was promise of untold pain and suffering that would be inflicted upon him! Tsunami also shudders, wondering where the dark aura was coming from. Surely it wasn't the little infant on her head. Takeshi scratches his head while smiling, still unsure exactly what was going on. They continue through the school courtyard. Tsunami had thought it was strange that Kyoya would allow a non-related Namimori event to happen. Being at the school at night was different for the boys but not for Tsunami. She had visited Namimori at night often to visit the ghosts that wander the school grounds. There were many ghosts and Tsunami couldn't talk to them during the day. Nighttime was the best time for they were more active when all of the living was gone. But none approached or spoke with her. She did see them from a far peeking through the windows stock still. Some of them even pointed in the direction Tsunami needed to go. It would have scared one not familiar with ghosts out of their minds. They sensed that something important was going to happen. Tsunami and her friends turn a corner behind a building into the largest empty part of schoolyard and found a metal cage set up in the middle of the yard. It looked like the kind of cage stage that was seen in fighting matches on TV. There were bright lights beaming down on the white mat. They had thought that they were the first to arrive, until the two Cervello and Varia dropped down from the top of a building, making a dramatic entrance as they all land on their feet.

"Thank you for attending," said Cervello #1.

'_Like we had a choice_!' growls Tsunami mentally.

"We'll now begin the tournament for the Vongola Succession," added Cervello #2.

Both Cervello point at the stage, "The arena is ready. It's a ring designed for the duel between the bearers of the Sun Ring."

"It takes into consideration the combat techniques of each fighter. Such special facilities will be provided for each match."

Ryohei was ecstatic! Not only was it his match to start all matches, but the fight was being held in a boxing ring. The Varia weren't excited, more than anything they seemed bored and annoyed. Tsunami could hear them mumbling from a distance. They still wanted to avoid the designated matches and just simply kill them all in one go; especially, the swordsman, Squalo. Tsunami sees the tiny baby hidden in his cloak. He was talking with the boy wearing the tiara. The baby was being stared at by Reborn. Tsunami wonders if Reborn was familiar with the other baby. Honestly, why were babies so deeply involved with Mafia violence! The Cervello request the fighters to enter the ring. Tsunami's teeth begin to chatter but it stopped by Ryohei putting a hand under her chin and having her look him in the eye. He was smiling with determination in his eyes.

"It's okay! I'll win this for us!"

"Hey, let's send him off properly!" suggests Takeshi.

"Yeah!" Ryohei's smile becomes a wide grin. "Pre-match huddle!"

"Huddle?" Tsunami tilts her head.

'_Boy? What's a huddle_?' Nekomasa asks.

"It's lame!" yells Hayato.

Tsunami was grabbed by Ryohei and Takeshi grabs Hayato. They put their arms over each other in a circle. Tsunami now realizes what Ryohei and Takeshi were talking about. This is what they do in their teams to pump each other up before a game.

Were her friends taking this thing seriously!?

But seeing Ryohei and Takeshi's bright smiles and Hayato's face flush with awkward embarrassment warmed her heart. She found herself smiling again. The boys notice her warm gaze and soft smile and return it.

"All right," Takeshi squeezes Hayato and Tsunami's shoulders.

"DAY OR NIGHT, FIGHT THE FIGHT!" Roars Ryohei.

"Yeah!" Takeshi cheers.

"Y-yeah!" Tsunami and Hayato repeat.

Ryohei enters the ring with the Varia Sun, Lussuria. After the Cervello checked and confirmed the authenticity of the Sun Half-Rings they instruct the two fighters to wear the rings around their necks on a chain. Whoever defeats their opponent and takes their ring-half is the winner. Ryohei prepares for the fight, removing his sports jacket and shirt. Lussuria noticeably looks Ryohei up and down and makes a pleased outcry.

"Oh! Oh my! Mmmm…you have a nice body and you're my type!" He purses his thick lips, "I'm taking you home with me~!"

Ryohei was puzzled by Lussuria's words. The Varia chuckle lowly and were even somewhat sympathetic that the kid had attracted Lussuria's attention. Lussuria's appraisal of his body hadn't gone unnoticed by Tsunami.

"BACK OFF!" she snarls.

Hayato and Takeshi jump at her voice, even taking a step away. Her pupils were thin and brown eyes become red-tinted. Tsunami was glaring at Lussuria for eyeing HER Ryohei! Lussuria flinches from her glare. Those eyes had been bothering him and the other Varia since they first encounter her last night! She was such a cute, petite little thing to Lussuria, but she was able to stand up against Xanxus. She had the same eyes with the power of intimidation just like his boss! But nobody was more bothered by her than Squalo. Squalo had mentioned his encounter of the other candidate. He mentioned that there was something strange about her and that she was dangerous. Squalo has regretted not killing her, consequences be damned. Reborn pulls out a stained-handkerchief from within his jacket. He flaps it open and covers Tsunami's face with it. With one whiff, Tsunami calms down. Her eyes even become a little glossy. Hayato smells herbs and spices from the handkerchief, it smelled familiar.

"Just so you know: I have soaked this handkerchief in that special tea Tsunami drinks during her 'hot flashes'." Reborn smirks proudly.

Ryohei gives Tsunami a thumb up, "Don't worry, Tsunami-chan. I know who I belong to!"

Tsunami blushes at Ryohei loud declaration. His words further soothe her as she sighs in relief. Lussuria shivers and forces himself to keep his eyes on Ryohei as the boy takes a boxing stance. That girl was something…thankfully she won't be able to stop him in getting what he wants during the match. Lussuria removes his own coat revealing muscular, bronze arms under a black tank top. He takes an interesting fighting stance, bringing his right leg up and his arms guarding his face.

"Tsk, you're a boxer, huh. So un-stylish! Muay Thai is much graceful!"

"The battle between Lussuria and Ryohei Sasagawa will now begin!" announces a Cervello.

Other sets of lights from the ceiling and sides of the cage flash on. It was as if the light of day had suddenly been turned on! Tsunami and the others had to shield their eyes. Tsunami and Hayato felt the most uncomfortable since their eyes were adjusted for the darkness of the night. The light was so bright; they could no longer see the fighters in the ring! The Cervello explains to everyone that the ring was designed for a sun battle to display simulated sunlight. Reborn passes sunglasses to the group. With their eyes protected they were able to see into the ring clearly. Ryohei was fighting blind. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He was a sitting duck, which Lussuria proves shoving his knee into Ryohei's chest.

"Ryohei-kun! Wait, he doesn't have sunglasses either!" Tsunami shouts.

"Don't interfere. If you step into the ring or assist in any manner, he'll be disqualified," warns the Cervello.

"W-what!?"

Ryohei punches the air, searching for Lussuria. The Muay Thai-user smiles cheekily as he circles Ryohei lazily. Like a cobra, he strikes again, hitting Ryohei in the face. Ryohei's head is thrown back and his body follows after. The force of the blow spins Ryohei onto the cables, but as his body touches them he screams in pain and throws himself away from them. The Cervello tells Ryohei that the cables were made of red, hot steel. Ryohei hisses in pain over the sizzling of his now burnt-red skin. He struggles to his feet. Lussuria giggles, casually approaching Ryohei's front.

"Mmmm, you're so close to my ideal. Y'see, my idea of physical beauty is a ravaged, unmoving, lifeless body!" Lussura pants lustfully.

Ryohei raises his fist and strikes out to the direction of Lussuria's voice. He lands a mighty blow, sending Lussuria into the air. While in mid-air, Lussuria performs a back flip. Ryohei is on the alert. Unable to use his eyes, his senses were slightly heightened. He could sense Lussuria was in the air. Feeling his presence, Ryohei tries for another punch, striking up into the air.

A loud crack echoes through the schoolyard!

Lussuria's knee, covered in steel-plating, had been thrust against Ryohei's punch. The crack was his bones meeting the steel and the force of the blow causes his arm to twist terribly. The blow caused blood to splatter through splintered skin. Tsunami whimpers when Ryohei's body hits the ground.

"Ohhh, honey," Lussuria gloats, "You shattered your little arm~! I'm afraid my left knee has a steel plate in it~!"

Ryohei was in bad shape! Not only was he seriously injured but the artificial sunbeams were taking a toll on his body. Ryohei was panting from dehydration.

"Get up, maggot!"

Colonello is flown in by his eagle, Falco. Both were wearing sunglasses.

"Sorry. I'm late cuz of Kyoko tried to put me to bed…Anyway! It's time to show them your full power, Ryohei!"

Ryohei draws himself up onto his knees, "Colonello-sensei…that's all I needed to hear," he grins.

Ryohei stands on his feet, though he was rather shaking. Steam was rising off his skin; the sweat on his body was evaporating.

"My efforts so far…had been left-handed!"

On hearing that, Tsunami remembers that Ryohei was a right-handed fighter! Even when he helped save the kids, he had used his left-hand! Why was he using his weak hand all this time?! Reborn pats her cheek from her shoulder.

"I can see the confusion on your face, Tsunami," said Reborn. "It's simple. Ryohei was saving his right hand."

"But why?"

Colonello was set down by Falco by Tsunami's feet.

"He needed to rest his cells in order to bring them to peak condition. More to the point, he is the Sun Guardian, kora!"

"The right fist is for overcoming extreme disadvantages!" yells Ryohei.

Lussuria laughs in amusement. He begins dancing circles around Ryohei. He was light on his feet and with his footwork was a blur. With Ryohei already sightless, it would be a miracle if he managed to…Lussuria strikes Ryohei on the cheek. Ryohei is down on the ground again.

"Ryohei!" yells Tsunami.

"I'm all right, Tsunami!"

Ryohei stands and braces his legs wide apart. Taking several breaths, he waits with his right hand higher than his left at ready. Lussuria attacks from the side. Ryohei feels the man pivot at the very last second.

"MAXIMUM CANNON!"

Ryohei lands his second blow on Lussuria in an uppercut. The attack was much stronger, even cracking one of Lussuria's lenses. But the Sun Varia recovers in a flip, landing on his feet. He primps himself, lightly dabbing at his slightly bruised chin. He was able to absorb the attack! Ryohei responds with a smirk. Something falls from the ceiling, catching the light. There was tinkling and cracking, when a set of lights shatter and smash onto the ring. Ryohei throws rapid-fire punches towards the lights set around them and shatters every one of them. All that was left was the normal bulb lights and Ryohei slowly opens his eyes.

"That levels things a bit."

Lussuria tilts his head curiously at the boy. The force of his punches destroyed the lights? No, there was no way. He peers closely at Ryohei's deliciously bruised body. There was something on his skin. He smirks as he figured out Ryohei's cute little trick. The sweat on Ryohei's body had evaporated, leaving behind salt on his skin. Somehow, Ryohei took the salt from his body and fired the tiny granules into the lights like bullets. The boy had a bit of a brain! But, it wasn't anything new! It was said that the 1st Sun Guardian was able to do the same thing earning the name Shining Punch. It was an easy trick. Lussuria goes on the attack and makes a punch at Ryohei. Ryohei barely dodges it as Lussuria's fist grazes his cheek. He follows through his punch and fires at set of lights and they are taken out. He giggles, leaping away from Ryohei.

"I'm too much for you, little boy! It's been fun, but you're nowhere near a real challenge."

Ryohei wipes a smudge of blood from the corner of his lip, "Tell me how much fun it's been when you take my right fist."

"But I just…copied your punch and improved it!"

"So you say! Shall we check it out?"

"Well said, Ryohei!" Colonello calls out, "Never give up! Release the energy of every cell in your body."

"Alright! I'm goin' to the extreme!"

Ryohei makes a dash. Lussuria dances on his toes ready for him. Though he was moving quickly, Ryohei was able to keep track of his movement! He shouts his attack of the Maximum Cannon with his right. Lussuria deflects the attack with his steel-plated knee. The result was the same as the first time he was struck by his knee. Blood explodes from the open wounds around his wrist. Ryohei yowls in pain and falls to his knees. Tsunami covers her mouth to keep from screaming. Ryohei had been trying to hit Lussuria with all he had! He falls and he gets back up…but with every fall he became terribly injured and Lussuria has taken little damage. What could she do? She couldn't help him!

"Oni-chan!"

Kyoko was here!? With Hana too!?

"What are you doing here!?" shouts Tsunami.

She notices her father standing behind her friend and she glares up at him.

"Dad!"

"These girls were looking for Colonello! So I escorted them here…."

"Daaaad!" Tsunami raises her hands as if to strangle him.

"Ryohei! What's going on?" Kyoko yells into the ring. "You promised me! You promised no more fights!"

Huffing harshly, Ryohei rises again. The glass and salt on the surface of the ring crinkle and crack underneath him.

"I know what I promised…and I meant it…" Ryohei pants. "But, I also said, 'I'm a man…I may have to fight again someday," he was on knee now, "But if it makes you so upset, I'll make sure never to lose again!'"

Like a bullet from a gun, Ryohei flies across the ring, "I'll show you the real…"

"Tch, so persistent~!" Lussuria starts his rapid foot work. "Let's finish this!"

"MAXIMUM…" Ryohei roars.

Colonello's eyes widen. He could feel it now! Ryohei's power had reached 100%. This was it! Tsunami felt it too. It was breath taking. Lussuria takes a graceful leap into the air and brings his weaponized-knee up.

"CANNOOOOOON!"

Ryohei's fist and Lussuria's knee collide. Ryohei holds his stance. He didn't flinch or cry out in pain this time! Lussuria's plating develops fractures…and cracks. It was Lussuria's turn to scream in pain. Ryohei's punch blew his knee open, revealing muscle and flesh! A larger blood splatter stains the ring and it was Lussuria's blood. Lussuria was tossed over Ryohei's head and he hits the floor face first. He curls into himself into a fetal position as he cradles his knee. His fellow Varia seemed none too concern over Lussuria's pain. Colonello was proud of Ryohei. That was the punch he was looking for. He is flown over to Kyoko by Falco. He takes her hand and tugs her away from the ring.

"Let's go, Kyoko!"

"Huh? We're leaving now? But, Ryohei…"

"He'll be fine, I'm sure Tsunami would take good care of him. Besides, it's past my bedtime. C'mon!" He urges.

"Kyoko-chan!" Tsunami calls out. "Don't worry! We'll talk tomorrow, I promise!"

Kyoko huffs, blowing up her cheeks, "You better promise, Tsu-chan!"

"We have things to talk about too, Colonello!" Reborn calls. "About your student's pervertism."

Colonello looks over his shoulders confused. He hurries Kyoko and Hana away from the ring. When they were gone, Ryohei steps towards Lussuria. He opens his hand out to him.

"It was an extreme battle! Now hand me the ring."

The fallen Sun Varia tries to scramble to his feet. But it was no good, his knee was in shambles.

"No! I don't want to!" There was desperation in his voice. "I'm a Varia…I can still win on one leg!"

Ryohei was confused by the Lussuria's mild panic. The strange man had broken out into a cold sweat! The blasts of gunfire were heard and the man jerks forward. Blood spraying from his back, he hits the ground with a dead thud. Amongst the Varia was the strange, large body with goggle lens for eyes and nozzles for his mouth. His fingertips were smoking.

"You're a fine aide to the Boss, Gola," the hooded baby compliments from his seat in Gola's free hand.

Tsunami couldn't believe. Not one of the Varia cared for Lussuria. They even attacked him after he was critically wounded.

"'Kill the weak.' It's a policy for the Varia so they could remain strong. Lussuria knew his life was forfeit when he lost the ring."

"Killing their own members…is a policy," Tsunami whispers in horror. "That's…that's…"

Ryohei stood in disbelief too! He tries to approach Lussuria to make sure he was okay, but the Cervello stand between him and Ryohei.

"We have determined that Lussuria is no longer able to continue the fight. Therefore, Ryohei Sasagawa, you are declared the winner of the battle for the Sun Ring."

"Tonight's battle is over. We'll now announce the opponents of the next match."

"Hey, let me go next!" yells Squalo.

"Tomorrow's battle features the Guardians of the Lightning Ring."

Tsunami's heart stops and her skin becomes white as snow. Takeshi and Hayato yell out her name but it sounds distant. The world was spinning around her then it goes dark.


	8. Chapter 8: The Lightning Battle and

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Eight: The Lightning Ring Battle and the Lightning Guardian

Tsunami bolts upright in her bed. Her bed? She didn't remember ever climbing into it. As far as she could remember, Ryohei had defeated Lussuria, the Sun Varia. He was definitely still alive, thank the gods. Then the Varia turned on their own and took Lussuria down. The Cervello announced the man's defeat and the next battle. The next battle was going to between Leviathan and Lambo. Her little Lambo. As she thinks of the little cowboy, there were many questions. Like, Lambo had been living in her and her mother's home for a few months now. Didn't his family care about him? Lambo had technically run away from home, chasing after his "rival" Reborn to kill him. Weren't they worried about him, at all? She felt terrible that she never thought to ask Lambo or Reborn about Lambo's family. She smiles lightly. She loved children. Of course, every Tejinaka female loved pups. They treated pups that belong to another as if they were there their own. So, naturally, having Lambo apart of their household she and her mother made him their own and loved him along with Ipin and Fuuta.

The clock by her bed read about two-thirty in the morning. She was so worried she couldn't fall back to sleep immediately. She goes downstairs for a glass of warm milk. The light in the kitchen was on. Was her mother up late? Walking into the kitchen she sees that is was Lambo. The 10-year older Lambo! He greets her claiming that his younger self must have shot himself with the bazooka in his sleep.

"Are you okay, neechan?"

Tsunami grabs him and pulls him into her arms. Lambo sputters and blushes.

"I'm so sorry, Lambo!"

"F-for what," his voice was muffled. "Is this about the note?"

"Note?" she releases him.

"About a week ago, since the last blast, I found a ring and note in my pocket. There were in there too," Lambo pulls out a note and a pair of horns. They were old and worn. "They still fit well," he shows how they fit on his head. "Anyway, the note mentioned about the battles and explained everything to me…"

"You should know then…that the next battle will be your younger self against one of the Varia."

"Aww man. Is that so…"

"You don't have to fight, Lambo-chan! Just tell me that you don't want to!"

Lambo looks up into her face. His sister looked like she was about to cry. He takes her hands and kisses them.

"…I would have said no. But from the note, it told me that you and everyone else may be killed if I refused. I don't want you to die."

Tsunami was shocked still. Slowly, she shakes her head, "No, please don't. Not for me! Your child-self can't fight…"

"Heh, but I'll have the bazooka with me. I may try to make myself older. No, I know that he would summon me in his place."

"Then I'll hide it!"

"Neechan, my, my, my…" he shakes his head. "Don't do that. It will be okay. Besides, if things get too tough, I know my big sis will save me, like the cool, awesome girl I know."

Lambo takes his turn to give Tsunami a hug. Tsunami returns t he hug and kisses the top of his head. Of course she would save him if she needed to. She loved her little Lambo-chan. She wasn't fooled by older, future Lambo's appearance. She was told that though diviners could predict the future, their predictions were based on current actions and events. If a diviner knows that war is coming and war was in favor of the enemy, it was based on the current actions or lack of action that would give their enemies victory. If the event in the current present hasn't taken place, it has no effect on the future. Tsunami was aware that the fight and the result of the fight hadn't come. This Lambo was of the future of that unknown result.

* * *

Tsunami skipped school the next day. She got up early, before Reborn and caught a bus. The bus took her to the inner city, with its tall buildings that reached the sky, fancy restaurants and expensive stores. But with all its modern architecture and ways of living, Namimori still had connections to its spiritual roots. Shrines and small temples could still be found all over. One shrine in particular that she was visiting was very special.

Hundreds of years ago, the shrine stood on what was the tallest hill in Namimori. Now it was placed on the roof on the tallest building in the city. The shrine was made into a garden and park that cover the entire surface of the roof. Everything that had grown, from the flowers, to the trees, the pond filled with koi fish, every stone and the shrine itself was there. The shrine was a pair statue of komainu or lion-dogs. Komainu varied in sizes; from the size of small dogs to the statues that were several feet tall. In the past they were set in front of temples and palaces. Presently they are set in front of stores, hotels and restaurants. The komainu's job was to guard against evil spirits and demons. The komainu Tsunami was seeking was special to Namimori. Every komainu was associated to a particular element. It started raining by the time Tsunami arrived at the building. It was called Rai-dachi Tower. The tower was named after one of the komainu guardians. Long ago, there was a lightning storm that hung over Namimori for many days. Lightning stroked the land and caused fires and ruined crops. The storm even killed people that dared to venture out in the open. A pair of komainu was carved from stone that was purified by priests and blessed with the power of lightning. Rai-dachi was the name of the male komainu and it performed its duty by redirecting the lightning storm towards him and his mate, Rai-daiko. They absorbed the storm and lightning struck nowhere else in Namimori but them. As time went by, humans became more knowledgeable of the elements and science and were able build determents against lightning. The guardians were no longer needed, but they weren't forgotten. When the hill was selected to be built over, it was coordinated with priests to appease the guardian spirits and carefully took apart the holy ground to move it to where it stood now.

It was going to storm tonight according to the weather report. A lightning storm and Tsunami had a feeling that the Mafia wasn't going to cancel because of a storm. How fitting that the lightning storm hits during the battle for the Lightning Ring! Probably like the Sun Ring battle they were using the elements, either natural or artificial against them. Tsunami wasn't going to take a chance on Lambo's life. He was only a child. She was going to have a back-up plan in case something goes wrong. Rai-dachi Tower was a multi-purpose skyscraper. It was built for businesses, studios and for recreation making it open to the public. Tsunami takes the elevator to the top floor. From the top floor, two flights of stairs lead to the roof. It was easy to forget that you're on top of the tallest building in the city on entering the shrine's garden. The grass was completely green, not a single blade of grass was yellow or brown. There were bushes and shrubs and even trees. The koi pond was in the certain of the roof garden; it was about ten-feet across filled with multi-colored koi. It was kept at a tolerable temperature for the fish all-year around. Tsunami opens her umbrella and goes to the statues. The statues stood out in the open beyond the koi pond. The statues of the guardians were about five-feet tall, sitting on stone podiums. Komainu pairs are always built to sit in a certain position. The male komainu sits with his mouth opened as in the motion of roaring. The female had her mouth closed. They were both built with large bodies of a lion and the deep muscular chest of a dog. Their manes were thick, going down the line of their spine. Their tails were short with a thick tip of fur that was as long and thick as the mane. Their canines protrude from their upper and lower jaws by inches. Their names were carved in kanji on the podiums. The komainu on the left was Rai-dachi and to his right was his mate, Rai-daiko. Tsunami kneels before Rai-dachi and rests the handle of her umbrella over her shoulder, using her neck to brace it. Out of her school bag she pulls out a lighter and three incense sticks. She lights the sticks and holds them between the palms of her hands and prays.

"Rai-dachi-sama, I ask of you…no, I beg of you! Please, watch over a little boy that I know! His name is Lambo and tonight he has to fight a dangerous man. A man so dangerous, that he may kill him. I don't want him to fight…but no matter what I do or say, I can't keep him away from the fight! I am asking for your help, Rai-dachi-sama, for you're a spirit of lightning and the fight Lambo-chan will be in is called a Lightning Battle. I know they will use lightning against him…I just…please, please, please protect him from your element!"

Tsunami prays and begs to the statue for hours until the incense couldn't burn anymore. When the sticks burned out, she pulled out three more and began praying all over again and making promises.

Reborn locates Tsunami from his usual insects of the season informants. He had planned to drag her back to train again with Basil, however, after learning that she had been praying for hours he leaves her alone. Tsunami returns home in the evening soaking wet and exhausted. She rests after a bath, also bringing Lambo with her to bed, making him nap with her. He was going to be up late…he was going to need all the rest he could get. Lambo had tried to fight her, but Tsunami used a spiritual technique to calm Lambo down and lull him to sleep.

* * *

It was still rainy at the appointed time at Namimori School. Tsunami arrives with Lambo, both carrying umbrellas and meets the others also carrying umbrellas. Except for Ryohei wanting to face the storm, however Tsunami was concerned about his bandaged arm. She didn't think it was good for it to get wet. Tsunami watches at Lambo splashes into puddles, with his cow-print umbrella and his bright red rain boots.

"Boots! Boots! Boots!" he sings.

Tsunami bit her lip, "…this shouldn't be happening! He has no idea that he's in danger!"

Takeshi takes Tsunami under his arm and kisses her cheek, "Don't worry, Tsuna-chan. We got his back."

"Yeah, not like he deserves it!" Hayato agreed, somewhat.

"No outside interference in the match will be permitted!"

Up above stood the Cervello on top of the building, "or the rings of the aided person and the person who aided him will be forfeited to the opponent's side."

How quick the Cervello were to remind them of the consequences of interference. Tsunami's lips curls. At her feet, Reborn tugs on her pant leg. The arena for tonight was placed on the roof of Namimori Middle. When the lightning flashed it revealed several spires placed in a circle. When Vongola Ring candidates arrive on the roof, they discover that they were lightning rods. The lightning rods were actually forming a hexagon. Connecting the rods together were several conductors connecting to a rod in the center. A bolt of lightning strikes one of the rods and the conductors flash and spark. The Cervello explained that the conductors amplified and distributed the electrical currents through floor. Tsunami was shaken. She knew it! She knew that they would create another death trap, only it was worse than Ryohei's! There was no way that Lambo would understand the concept to avoid the conductors! Lambo had thought it was something fun and almost raced to jump onto it. Tsunami grabs him, sweeping him off his feet. Lambo complains about Tsunami preventing him from having fun but feels her shaking.

"Neechan?"

"Lambo-chan, this isn't a game! It's dangerous!"

"Neechan, you're shaking? Are you cold?"

Tsunami shakes her head and buries her face into his fro. Her friends looked at each other helplessly. Hayato growls and approaches his boss.

"Stupid cow! Making the boss worry!"

He yanks Lambo's horns out of his hair. Pulling out a marker from his pocket he begins writing on one of the horns. He writes, "Stupid Cow". Tsunami was startled by Hayato's usual insult to Lambo. Was that supposed to be encouraging? The Cervello ask for Lambo to step into the arena. His opponent, Levi, had been waiting for two hours! Waiting on the opposite side was Leviathan. Tsunami, Hayato and Lambo are pulled into a huddle. Takeshi and Ryohei cheer for Lambo, giving him proper encouragement. Lambo demands that they do it again but is shot down by Hayato quickly. Tsunami grabs Lambo once more and has him look her into her eyes.

"Lambo! Listen to me! You don't have to this! I have no idea why my papa chose you to be my guardian! You're too young first of all! Children shouldn't be fighting! You don't wanna die, do you?"

Lambo sucks on his teeth and shoves a finger up his nose, "Tsk, What are ya' talking about, neechan!? No way am I going to die or anything! I'm invincible!"

"Tsunami…" Reborn touches her knee.

"Guardian of the Lightning Ring, please come forward."

"Let him go, Tsunami." The baby squeezes her knee.

Tsunami takes a deep breath and reaches out to pet Lambo's head, but stops.

"Lambo-chan!"

"See ya' later!" Lambo rushes into the arena.

Tsunami tightens the hand that had reached out for Lambo. She stood up and feels the hand of Hayato and Takeshi on her shoulder. She grabs hold of both hands and holds them.

'_This shouldn't be happening! This shouldn't be happening_!'

"The Lightning Rings match featuring Leviathan and Lambo will now begin!"

The rainfall lightens its downpour, but the clouds rumble ominously up above. Lambo stood out of place in such a dark atmosphere. He pokes at one of the conductors with naïve curiosity. The Varia also thought the situation was surreal. Levi was sure to destroy the child. The rumbling becomes a growl and Tsunami could feel her hair standing on end. It was coming. She yells at Lambo to move! A flash and bolt from the sky strikes at one of the rods. At that precise moment, Levi leaps into the air away from the conductors. Lambo was caught and he shrieks in pain. It happened in seconds, Levi lands back on the ground while Lambo lays smoking and sizzling. Tsunami covers her mouth and whimpers.

"Unh…unh….waaaaaAAAAAAUGGGGGGH!" Lambo sits up and begins wailing.

Everyone on both sides, including the judges was surprised. Lambo was alive and whining. Tsunami wanted to give Lambo a hug. She didn't care that he was being his usual whining self. This was granted! He somehow survived being shocked!

"Lambo has been hit many times by lightning. So much so that he developed electtric cuoio.

"Cuoio?" Tsunami looks to Reborn, who had made Takeshi his seat to watch the action.

"Electtrico cuoio is skin that lets electricity pass right through him into the ground while largely shielding his internal organs. He doesn't just represent lightning; he is the very lightning rod that prevents potential damage to the family. It's the purpose of the Lightning Guardian."

"Just…just like…Rai-dachi-sama…" Tsunami whispers.

Tsunami was relieved. She takes the situation as a sign from the lightning guardian spirit that perhaps Lambo may survive this yet! Those hopes were quickly dashed when the first real threat charges and without hesitation kicks Lambo. Levi attacks relentlessly, not allowing Lambo to hit the ground when he strikes him down with his blade. Tsunami and Hayato yell for Lambo to run. Lambo couldn't bear the pain he was receiving and whips out his bazooka. With a yank on the cord the arena is filled with pink clouds. The clouds dispel revealing teen-Lambo who appeared to have been in the middle of eating dinner. Chinese, from the potsticker between his chopsticks. The young man sighs.

"Who would have thought that potstickers would be my last meal…."

Takeshi and Ryohei didn't recognize him. One of the Varia, Squalo, calls interference. However, the Cervello overruled the call. They were aware and explained to the spectators that the young man standing in before them was the same opponent. Because of the bazooka, it had brought forth the child's older form ten years from the future. Lambo puts the rest of his potsticker into his mouth. He chews for a minute before standing up and looking to Tsunami.

"Vongola-chan, you look like you're going to cry. Don't worry. I may not look much, but I do get things done."

Lambo faces Levi and pulls out his set of horns, his Thunder Set. They were his weapons that he tried to use on Reborn the first time Tsunami encountered his 10-year older self. A bolt of lightning comes down upon him and was drawn in by his horns. Acting as a conductor, the horns are filled with electricity.

"Here comes the Electtrico Cornata!"

Lambo charges Levi with his head down and horns pointed at the man like a charging bull.

"You stand out to much," mutters Levi. "The one who's going to win the Boss' perfect trust by being the best Guardian of the Lightning Ring…IS ME!"

All blades fling away from their sheath on Levi's back. They all open up to reveal that the thin blades were umbrellas! They act as lightning rods and draw lightning into them. They had circled around Lambo from above and strike Lambo in his mid-step. Adding to it, the electricity passes through Lambo into the conductors increasing the voltage Lambo was receiving! Though the shock lasted for a few seconds, for Lambo it felt that he was being shocked for hours. He takes a shaking step before hitting the ground.

"Lambo-chan!"

"G-g-gotta…s-stay….c-calm…" He struggles to sit on his knees.

His arm covers his face and he begins to wail like his 5-year old self!

"WAAAAAAAAAGH! IT HURTS!" he cries.

"Dammit! If you can cry, get up on your feet and run!" Hayato yells in frustration.

A blade pierces through Lambo's shoulder ceasing he cries. Lambo huffs in pain; his soaking wet face of rain mingles with his tears. He pulls the blade out of his shoulder with pain-filled sobs. To Tsunami and the others surprise he pulls out the bazooka again! He was going to shoot himself again! Was that even possible!? The bazooka was fired and the clouds fill the arena for a second time. Within clouds, there was sparkling and cracking of electricity. A taller figure is seen through the clearing clouds and once they were gone, there stood an even older Lambo! Adding onto the previous 10-years, this much older Lambo, a true adult, was twenty-five years old. Gone was the childish black and white cow print of his child and teen self. It was replaced by a worn and tattered long tan leather coat with stitches patching it together and a short-furred trim about his neck. His dark hair had grown slightly longer and even shaggier. Four braids came out from under his hair. He looks around himself, taking in his altered scenery. Tsunami was in awe. Lambo had grown to become a handsome man! She could feel that his soul had matured.

"L-Lambo…chan?"

Lambo looks over his shoulder and he flashes a smile at her.

"This is a rarity for me to be here by a double-shot of the bazooka. So nostalgic. And you, Tsunami…it is incredible that someone as cute as you would be so beautiful twenty years from now. I'm so moved."

Tsunami blushes. The boys blink. Tsunami was cute now…from 25-years Older Lambo, Tsunami was going to be beautiful…she would be in thirties. She would retain her beauty for that long! They couldn't help but be envious that Lambo would be able to see such a sight. But then again…would they be with Tsunami twenty years from now, even ten for that matter!?

Adult Lambo slowly turns his lingering gaze away from Tsunami to Levi. Levi had been glaring at his back for some time and was growing impatient. Lambo slowly reaches down to the ground to pick up the lightning ring his previous self had dropped. As he stood up again, Levi had already made a move. He summons up his umbrellas again and they prepare to fire another shot of electricity onto him. They are charged by another bolt of lightning and strike Lambo. A second flash and another bolt of lightning! A second charge and second strike! Two electric blasts from Levi's attack that worked with the conductors under Lambo's feet. It was triple the damage than the previous attacks. Confident in his last attacks, Levi turns his back on his win…

"My, my, my, that was strong."

Lambo remained on his feet! The man crouches and slaps his hand to the ground.

"Electtrico Reverse!"

Electricity is sent across the ground and it travels down the school building. The windows shatter by the Lambo's power! Now that Lambo was an adult, he was able to take on more electricity and had grown to use it expertly.

"The potential I saw in his gift seems to have been recognized. In fact, it's quite beyond my expectations."

Tsunami finds her father behind her along with Basil. Levi growls. Taking one of his umbrellas he charges Lambo with it to stab him. Nonchalantly, Lambo notices a set of old horns on the ground. It was the old horns that his teenaged-self had received along with the note. It probably had fallen out of his pocket during his fight. He was able to pick them up and use one of them to deflect the sharpened end of the umbrella. The force of the attack sends Lambo skidding backwards several feet. Looking into his hands he smiles in amusement.

"I had reported these missing a week ago. So they wound up here, eh?" He chuckles. "Tsunami-chan scolded me as if I was still a child…she would always see me as her Lambo-chan. Geez, it's embarrassing to be called that after all these years…but I tolerate it. It's proof that Tsunami loves me so."

Flipping one of the horns over it reads what Hayato wrote! It was the horns Lambo wore and Hayato had just written on this night. Hayato couldn't believe that all these years, Lambo had never wiped the words off!

"They're Lambo's horns from twenty years in the future. I got them from the current Bovino boss a week ago. I gave them to the Lambo ten years in the future to remind him to call on himself ten years further on," Iemitsu laughs, "It seems that he had forgotten but the desired result happened anyway."

Lambo attaches his horns to his head. He activates his Thunder Set – Electtrico Coronata.

"I know that technique now and its fatal weakness," Levi claims.

"Weakness?" Tsunami questions.

"In order for Lambo's attack to work, the horns must make contact with the enemy's body." Reborn educates his student.

Lambo charges and at the same time he launches a bolt between his horns. The electricity makes contact against Levi's umbrella-blade. Lambo presses forward, electricity crackling sounding like the continuous clapping of thunderous applause. Lambo pushes against Levi's weapon, step by step, Lambo's Electrrico Coronata edges inches closer to Levi's body. Stray strands of electricity lick at Levi's body giving him slight jolts and painful tingles on his skin. Levi yells out.

"Remember! I am twenty years beyond your ability!" yells Lambo.

"That…doesn't matter! I will win!" Levi grits through his teeth.

He struggles against Lambo's bolt of lightning. Using all his power push through!

"Sheath your sword or you'll…"

POOF!

A scream not belonging to Levi rings through the cloud. When it was gone, Lambo was being struck by a lightning bolt that came from Levi's blade. Being that he was against his older self, Levi had put all his force into the attack and the child Lambo was receiving the brunt of it on his return!

"It hasn't been five minutes yet! How…" Tsunami didn't understand.

"It has been five minutes since the first shot," said Reborn. "Time was ticking with every shot."

Lambo lays unmoving in the center of arena. His clothes and hair was scorched. His skin was red with burns. Levi stood over him for a minute, raises a heavy boot and stomps on him. Again and again, he stomps on Lambo defenseless, tiny body. He yells at the little boy, curses at him, telling him that he was unworthy to be a Lightning Guardian. Levi held nothing back putting all his rage, envy and strength in stomping little Lambo to death! Ryohei, Hayato and Takeshi make to move but Reborn stops them.

"You can't interfere. You'll be disqualified and have your rings confiscated…"

There was movement in the corner of Reborn's eye. He almost missed it for was not even a blur. In two seconds, he realizes that Tsunami was no longer standing with them but was approaching the arena.

"STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU BASTARD!" she shrieks.

"TSUNAMI!" Iemitsu yells.

He tries to give chase, but Basil clutches onto his arm, "No, Master! The arena!"

"BOSS!"

"TSUNA-CHAN!"

"TSUNAMI!"

The brightest flash of lightning illuminates the night sky and blinds everyone, forcing them to turn away from the impending disaster. Over the rumble of the thunder was the roar of an animal! Tsunami feels the presence of a spirit around her. It was hot but it didn't burn her. She ignores it since it didn't cause her pain or stopped her from saving Lambo. She saw red, for despite the blinding light, Levi was still caught up in cruelly beating Lambo! She draws her spiritual energy to her hand. Five tiny blue flames lit on the pads of each of finger. She was right under Levi now and she snarls, drawing her hand back. It was like slow motion as the Lightning Varia he slowly looks down at his side. He is horrified by the red eyes piercing through him. The little mouse of a girl's face was twisting with rage and desperation; lips were pulled back revealing rows of sharp teeth. The hand she held back grew pale as the moon claws, three-inches long. Levi gasps. The claws had been shoved into stomach…but it wasn't the claws that made him feel the most horrible, spine-twisting pain that he ever felt filling his whole body. Tsunami's spiritual energy was plunged into the core of Levi's soul. With a push she sends her own soul energy and it pulses through his body.

This technique is one of the Tejinaka's most damaging attacks to a soul. Ghosts and spirits are practically intangible. They are forms of energy that are not contained by a physical vessel. At times, the ghost or spirit must be subdued. To do this, the Tejinaka created the technique, Soul Paralysis. Spiritual energy or chi can be compared to electricity. It is the life force of every living thing. For ghosts that energy is residue of the life force that has ran out or what cut off abruptly when they died. Soul Paralysis is forced upon the ghost or spirit and gives them a shock and weakens them greatly. Soul Paralysis is a level above the technique, Soul Purge. If a ghost of a weak-level possesses a living thing, Soul Purge is an attack to the ghost that seeks it out and forces the ghost out of the body without doing damage to the one being possessed own soul or body. A ghost of a higher-level or spirit may require stronger attack and Soul Paralysis paralyzes the ghost or spirit and causes damage to the physical body. This is so for the ghost or spirit can't remain inside a weak and damaged body. A living being that is hit by Soul Paralysis becomes paralyzed because their soul has been shattered, discombobulated by the force of another's soul. One's spiritual energy travels through the body alongside the body's physical energy. If the soul is disrupted the body stops moving until the soul can heal and reform itself. It takes many days for a soul to heal on its own.

Tsunami retracts her claws, flicks her wrist to fling the blood off her claws as they recede back into small, blunt nails. Levi's body hits the ground as if he was dead. Eyes were rolled back becoming completely white. Blood had spattered out of his mouth, staining his teeth. Falling to her knees she stares down in horror. Lambo was a mess. Burned and battered, wheezing to breath. He had such a tiny body for a five-year old! He probably had many broken bones; his whole body would be black and blue. Tears fall like waterfalls from her eyes. She reaches for him with shaking hands and touches him.

"Lambo-chan…?"

Lambo squeaks in pain and Tsunami's heart broke in shambles. Lambo was able to open one eye, the other was swollen.

"N…nee…nee…..cha…chan…"

"Shhhh, don't talk! Don't talk! You're going to get help! You're going to be okay! Gods!"

There was comforting rumble above her. A heavy paw rests on her shoulder.

The light dies down; all the lightning rods had been melted down to the base! In the middle of the arena was the fallen Levi, Tsunami crying over Lambo and a great beast standing over the two.

"What the heck is that!?" Ryohei yells.

"It looks like a guardian! Those big guardians in front of restaurants," said Takeshi.

"A fuu dog?" Hayato guesses.

'_That's what you foreigners call them. Their appropriate names are komainu, lion-dogs. They are holy guards against evi_l,' Nekomasa almost sounded like he revered them. '_Tsunami must have been able to reach out to one…and he answered_…'

The Varia had their mouth opened agape. The beast was the size of a small horse, standing five feet tall at the shoulders. Its fur was a dark golden-brown with golden scales in patches on his shoulders, back and the sides of its large, wide face. In the center of his forehead was a slight bent forward horn that was like a jagged red lightning bolt. Mane and tail were like blazing, red fire. Silver eyes were watching Tsunami with compassion.

"_**Sawada Tsunami**_," he speaks with a deep, echo voice. "_**Forgive me for reacting so slowly. In truth, I was hoping that this strange child that can travel through the portals of time and use the lightning as I do would win this battle. He is strong. He won't die, but he must be seen by a doctor**_."

Tsunami carefully picks up Lambo, cradling him gingerly although she wanted to squeeze him close to her heart so she could feel his beating heart against hers. His ring falls to the ground. Tsunami glares at it, wishing it would shatter to pieces. She remembers her own ring and the conditions that she broke. Wordlessly, without be prompted, she removes her Sky Ring Half.

"I interfered. I stepped in to save Lambo, attacked the Varia and summoned this spirit to aide me."

She drops the ring alongside Lambo's ring, "No matter how important you say the Vongola Rings are or how vital it is for me to be the next boss…I will NEVER fight for those things! But I WILL fight to stop my friends…my family from getting hurt…"


	9. Chapter 9: A Game of Cat and Monk!

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Nine: A Game of Cat and Monk!

"No matter how important you say the Vongola Rings are or how vital it is for me to be the next boss...I will NEVER fight for those things! But I WILL fight to stop my friends...my family from getting hurt!"

Tsunami yells at the Varia and the Cervello as she clutches Lambo gently to her chest. Her eyes were a lit with her flame with speckles of red. She suddenly tenses up and bares her teeth as she looks over her shoulder upon a higher roof. Tsunami bites down on her tongue to hold back the snarl in her throat. She could taste her own blood…and she was getting hungry. High above her stood Xanxus. His red eyes were gleaming. But it wasn't rage. It was the gaze of rapid animal! He was excited. He had grown delighted by what he had seen. Rai-dachi senses the man's happy bloodlust and rumbles in warning. He even leans overto shield her and Lambo with his neck. Xanxus now was eying the great beast. The beast had come down upon the arena like a bolt of lightning and destroyed it. All the lightning rods had melted down to the base. He protected Tsunami from being struck as she dealt with Levi. Speaking of Levi, the man had fallen. His eyes were wide open with shock and fear while unconscious. Xanxus snorts. He was probably dead…did this pathetic girl kill him? Xanxus' lips twitch and slowly curl upwards. Tsunami could hear the Varia flinch and gasp. Xanxus leaps from the roof from about ten to fifteen feet high. He lands right in front of her and the komainu. The komainu shows all the rows of his teeth, breathing hot breath into Xanxus' face. Xanxus' grin widens greatly. He wasn't afraid of Tsunami's "pet".

Rai-dachi narrows his eyes, his facial features smooth over "_**…You are a troubled young man. There is darkness within you that clouds your very soul!**_**"**

Xanxus barks out a laugh, "This thing talks! This fucking monster talks!"

Rai-dachi growls from the back of his throat. Tsunami stood up. She buries her fingers into Rai-dachi's neck fur. It was warm and made her fingers tingle. Her movement caught Xanxus' attention. He catches her gaze and he felt a twinge of irritation. He couldn't stand that defiant, courageous and pissed off expression at her face. She shouldn't be able to look that way! This girl, Tsunami Sawada, should be afraid of him! She shouldn't be angry, she should be frightened! But, that was minor! He was thrilled by her unexpected behavior and her strange abilities, such as summoning a monster.

"This is the first time in eight years…that I ever had so much fun!"

Tsunami flinches in shock. Fun? Fun!? Fun to have a full-grown man beat a child to near death! It was fun!? It was fun, having his men fall though they fought hard for him!? Her fingers grip Rai-dachi's fur and he doesn't show that he was bothered as his fur and skin was being twisted in her hand. With a large paw on her shoulder he pushes her away from Xanxus.

"_**Sawada Tsunami. Take the little boy to be healed! Now isn't the time to fight this man."**_

Xanxus chuckles and a bright, hot flame burns to life in his hand. Hearing Rai-dachi's words and seeing Xanxus' flame flare, one of the Cervello moves between them.

"Master Xanxus, you mustn't! You'll negate the point of this battle…lower your hand…now!"

In a brief second, Xanxus forces a blast of his flame at the Cervello. The Cervello was thrown away from him and she crumples into herself. She twitches and gasps hoarsely. He clicks his tongue against his teeth. Returning his gaze onto Tsunami and his smile also returns.

"I finally understand why dad chose you, though it was a fleeting glimpse. That rotten silly talk…you're a like him…except for that look in your eye when one of your…precious friends are in danger…you have the look of a wild animal!"

Xanxus throws his head back roaring in laughter. He picks up Tsunami's half-ring and takes out his half. He puts them together and slips it on his finger. Tsunami felt something from the ring. It was the same feeling of a spirit. An old spirit with a connection to her that she felt that was reaching for her. She stares at the ring as Xanxus raises it to his eye level. She is snapped out of her slight trance when Xanxus speaks.

"It's only natural that I take this one. I am, after all, going to be the next Vongola Boss. I can simply have you killed in the name of the Vongola."

Xanxus looks past the ring into Tsunami's eyes. He grins, "Yeah, there's that look in your eye…that's so sickening that mentioning hurting your friends brings that amazing look. I want the ring battles to continue, so I can crush that defiance in your eyes and fill them with despair in the end. Just like that old fool!"

Tsunami frowns in confusion. What did Xanxus mean by that? Iemitsu and Reborn caught onto Xanxus's words. Reborn was deadly silent and didn't flinch, but Iemitsu stepped forward, looking as though he wanted to grab Xanxus and shake him.

"Xanxus, you bastard! What have you done to the Boss!?"

Xanxus stuns his audience with a snort of laughter, "That for me to know and for you to find out, Mr. Outside Advisor," he sneers on Iemitsu's title.

Iemitsu threatens Xanxus, but Reborn warns him to calm down. Xanxus looks down on Tsunami.

"I'm curious about you, brat. I want to know more about this power of calling upon monsters," he grins.

Rai-dachi nudges Tsunami. Lambo was wheezing. Tsunami turns her back on Xanxus, running away to get Lambo to the hospital. Not waiting for the remaining Cervello to announce the next match. Her guardians follow after her. Rai-dachi stays between Tsunami and Xanxus until she was gone. He looms over Xanxus and brings his muzzle to the man's ear. Squalo takes a step forward but stops when he sees the komainu's mouth move, speaking only for Xanxus to hear.

"_**Young man, you speak of monsters…you have no idea of the beast that dwells within that young girl. You should not have threatened the safety of her family. She is of the Tejinaka Clan, and they protect their love ones with strength and ferocity."**_

"Then when the time comes, she better bring all that!" he smirks.

There was flash and the komainu disappears.

* * *

Nana arrives at the hospital with Ipin and she informs the nurse at the front desk who she was and that she was looking for her daughter. Nana is told the number and floor and she hurries into the closest elevator. Tsunami is found sitting with Lambo beside his bed. She was gently petting through Lambo's fro that had gone limp. Nana walks up behind Tsunami and puts a hand on her shoulders. Tsunami reaches for her mother's hand and she whimpers.

"I'm sorry, Mama….Lambo wanted to take a walk out in the rain…and lightning struck his umbrella and he rolled down a hill."

"Oh, Tsu-chan, at least you got him to the hospital." Her mother hugs her.

'_I should have done more than that. I should never have let Lambo fight…' thought Tsunami. "Mama, please watch over Lambo_!"

Tsunami stood and hugs her mother. Nana hugs her back, kissing the top of her head. Nana takes her daughter's seat, to watch over Lambo. Ipin sits by Lambo and watches over him along with Nana. Tsunami leaves the room.

A few minutes later, Reborn arrives on Basil's shoulders. Seeing Nana there he looks around.

"Oh, hello Reborn-chan. If you're here for Tsunami-chan you just missed her."

Reborn sighs. He pulls out a note from his pocket and has Basil give the note to Nana. Nana opens the letter and reads that the letter was from Iemitsu. In the letter is simply read, "Help Tsunami all you can…and trust me. Iemitsu" Nana stares at the note and growls. Reborn and Basil were startled by the sound.

"I don't understand. What is that man up too? When he comes home…he better has some answers. How can he leave when Tsunami needs him…" Nana sighs and just shakes her head. "…Tsunami seems most upset about this…she lied to me of what happen to Lambo-chan. It must have been awful that she didn't want me to tell the truth. She blames herself for what happened."

Tsunami was too distressed to lie properly to her mother and Nana detected her lie, "It's all right, Mama. I'll take care of her."

Nana looks over her shoulder to Reborn and smiles gratefully, "I'm counting on you, Reborn-chan."

Reborn smiles and tips his fedora to her.

Tsunami is on the roof of the hospital. She sent her friends home after checking in Lambo and when he was stabilized. Each of them comforted her with a hug and kiss. Hayato kissed her right cheek, Takeshi her left and to their envy Ryohei kissed her on the corner of her lip. Tsunami gave them soft smiles and sent them off. Alone on the roof, she sits on the roof's edge with her legs drawn into her chest with arms wrapped around them. Her forehead resting on her knees. Reborn and Basil find her and they each took a seat at her sides.

"I'm sorry, Reborn. My ring was taken away. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for, Tsunami? It was the right thing."

Tsunami lifts her head and slowly turns to him.

"The Vongola have no use for bosses who forsake their subordinates."

Tsunami grips her arms, "Reborn…Reborn I…I want to get stronger!"

"The third stage of your training awaits." Reborn gives her a smile. "Rest up tonight."

Tsunami nods. She becomes alert and stands quickly, startling Basil. She turns and they turn along with her. Behind them was the komainu, Rai-dachi. Tsunami walks up to him and bows deeply to him.

"Thank you, Rai-dachi-sama."

Rai-dachi moves in close and with his paw pulls Tsunami into what could be a hug.

"_**I thank you for the opportunity to be of service to one who was of need. My mate and I aren't seen as the purposeful servants protecting Namimori from the cursed storms that still exist. Humans had developed their own means to defend themselves. It was of great luck that we were kept along with the soil that we stood upon for so many years.**__"_

"Rai-dachi-sama…"

The komainu chuckles, "_**Rai-dachi is fine. I'm no lord or god. I'm a spirit, who wishes to befriend you. I also would like to make a request.**_"

"Of course! I want to show my appreciation to you taking the time to answer my prayer!"

"_**May I request a bottle of pear sake,**_" he purrs. "_**Pears are at their best this time of year and it has been a very, very long time since we, my mate and I, have been offered sake as an offering**_."

Tsunami pets his neck, "Yes, Rai-dachi-san."

Rai-dachi purrs, gives a firm squeeze with his paw and arm.

"_**Ah, before I go…a gift**_."

He motions Tsunami to hold out her hand, palm up. With his paw he pats her hand. Taking his paw away there was a card in Tsunami's hand. It was taller and slimmer than ordinary cards. On the card was Rai-dachi rearing up and roaring, with his clawed paw raised.

"A summoning card?!"

Rai-dachi nods, "_**If you ever need assistance again, call me anytime. Besides, a good priestess could do with a companion to aid her**_. _**Also, congratulations. One of your beads came alight after you saved the child's life. The green bead**_."

* * *

Hayato couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand seeing his boss so distraught. He knew that Tsunami was completely against the little stupid cow. Tsunami loved Lambo as if he was her own sibling along with the other children. Tsunami was someone he would follow to hell and back, because of her kindness and mercy she shows to both her friends and her enemies. She gave up the precious sky half-ring up for Lambo and stated that she was only fighting for them, not for the ring. Hayato was determined to win his match when it comes.

"_**For sure, we are going to win. I refuse to lose to any of those Varia. It's unfortunate that we won't be facing the bitch that killed me**_."

"More importantly, Boss is in trouble. That Xanxus character is bad news. We can't afford to lose the next matches for her sake!"

"…There you go again…" a hiccup, "Talking to yer'self…"

In front of Hayato, was Doctor Shamal stumbling about. He drops a can of beer on the ground and crushes it under his foot. Hayato groans at the sight of the drunken man. Shamal leans over the teenager and Hayato nearly gags. He had been drinking heavily.

"Heey, where you've been…you brat…you were suppose to be training with me these last five days! You think…you think you can face Belphegor and come on top tomorrow?" he grumbles.

"My match is tomorrow?" asks Hayato.

Hayato's lips become a crooked smirk, "_**Finally**_!"

Shamal stares at him strangely, "…Have you finally gone and lost it kid?"

'_Hayato, from your memories of this man, he has been wasting time though from what I can tell he really tries to help. But, let's speed up the process already_.'

"How?" Hayato asks.

"The Cervello decided it." Shamal answers the question, not directed at him.

'_It's been a long time since I possessed someone. By possessing a human, I learn their history and skills. That's how I, a few other cats and animals learn to talk. Let's see what goes through Shamal's head_!'

Hayato slowly grins and his left eye becomes acid green.

"_**Do you have something to show me, old man**_?"

"Course I do! You ungrateful brat!" Shamal snaps.

"_**Heh, then show me**_," Nekomasa purrs.

* * *

Tsunami, Reborn and Basil rest at Kokuyo land and as soon as dawn hits, they were up and ready to train. Tsunami was going to learn the final form of death-peration control, overcoming Death-peration Point Zero. It was a phantom secret technique mastered only by the first boss. To achieve it, she is to spar with Basil who was allowed by Iemitsu to go into Hyper-mode. She was ready and Reborn begins her training. They train for hours and rest at.

It was dark when they woke up and they made their way to the school. Basil was wobbly. Tsunami catches Basil by his arm and holds him up when he trips.

"Basil? Are you okay?" she asks.

"It was my first time going into Hyper-mode…it's a bit of strain."

Tsunami recalls the pill he took to go into Hyper-mode. Basil also was much weaker after the training. He fell asleep faster than she did! She hugs his arm tightly.

"Basil, I'm very grateful for your help."

Tsunami stops them from walking, she pulls Basil closer by his arm and she pecks his cheek.

"Thank you, Basil."

Basil blushes as he touches his cheek. Reborn shakes his head. Tsunami was seducing another boy into her harem. Reborn wasn't going to sugar-coat it. Tsunami was creating a harem on purpose. Tsunami was an alpha female who has met young men who were handsome and had great potential and keeps them close with affection and protection. It was her nature and Reborn believed that she deserved it. Perhaps she was filling the void her father left half-empty with the boys' love. Reborn smirks to himself. This was Iemitsu's fault and whenever her father finds out about her multiple partners, they could blame him!

"Sawada-sama?" Basil sees her face turn into a frown.

Tsunami was informed earlier that tonight was Hayato's match. Hayato was very dear to her. Though he was an enemy at first, he became her first friend outside of her clan to befriend, who appreciated her for what she was. She didn't want to lose him. Hayato was a fighter. He had been fighting most of his life on the streets gaining a nickname from the mafia. But deep down he was a good person and can be kind if he really wanted to. But Hayato won't be alone. She remembers that Nekomasa was a part of Hayato now. How will Hayato's current skills along with Nekomasa's fare against a Varia assassin.

"Reborn? Do you know anything about the guy Hayato's going to fight?"

Tsunami learns about Belphegor, also known as The Ripper Prince. To her surprise, being called the "Prince" was actually true. Belphegor was a prince from an unknown, distant country. So what was royalty doing amongst a Mafia organization of assassins? Reborn believes it was because simply the boy had nothing else to do. Tsunami shivers and her concern for Hayato grows. Though Belphegor joined the Varia on a whim, he was uniquely gifted in the art of assassination. Basil adds that Belphegor was the most deadly Varia.

* * *

It was nine thirty-five when Hayato slips a blue long-sleeved shirt over his bandaged body. He buckles a white belt around his waist with other white belts with holsters holding sticks of dynamite of various sizes on his legs.

"_**Enough primping, we have to get going**_."

Hayato looks at the bathroom mirror. He sees his reflection, but his reflection wasn't reflecting him. It was startling the first time he was staring through a mirror. He was seeing not himself, but Nekomasa as himself. It was his face, but his eyes were the feline-acid green belonging to Nekomasa. Nekomasa had Hayato's hair slick back, his bangs away from his face. Nekomasa was smirking with Hayato's lips with amusement in his eyes. Hayato glares at his second-face and leaves the bathroom. Shamal was lying on couch. He was awake but was in a heavy daze. He mumbles and curses under his breath. Hayato looks over him.

"_**He'll be fine…he's just drained like we did the others**_." Nekomasa speaks.

"Bastard…cat…" Shamal glares up at Hayato, no Nekomasa.

"He doesn't like you very much," Hayato grins.

"_**Like I care.**_"

Hayato looks over himself, checking his supply of dynamite one last time; particularly a hidden set of dynamite within his jacket. He leaves his apartment and locks the door behind him. Climbing down the stairs he's startled to see Kyoya's grandfather standing at the foot of the stairs in his priest garb, complete with shakujo (monk staff with rings) and takuhatsugasa (a straw monk's hat).

"Gokudera, Hayato."

"…Hibari-ojisan?"

'_We got to go_!' hisses Nekomasa within Hayato's mind.

"I know you're inside him, Nekomasa. You should have accepted your death and passed on. But you stayed and remained in this world and have disrupted the peace of Namimori City! You have attacked the Namimori citizens to absorb their spiritual energy to fill your power. You risk their lives to be able to increase your power. Even worse, you fused your soul with his! Now his fate is sealed with yours."

'_We really got to go, Hayato_!'

Nekomasa's shout sends Hayato leaping over the railing of the stairs and he runs. He hears the jingling rings of the monk's staff. The older Hibari was light on his feet as he chased him down! Hayato curses.

"Care to explain to me what's going on?!"

'_Open up your mind and search through my memories! I haven't hidden anything from you_!'

Hayato goes through their memories, touching on Nekomasa's. Nekomasa and the Hibari's history went way back! Nekomasa had been growing in power and when he was young he was rather impulsive. He had taken upon himself to ruin the lives of the rich and privilege of Namimori's nobles. The nobles took advantage of the poor and weak and Nekomasa avenged them. He even devoured the worst of wrong-doers along with those that collaborated with them. The Hibari clan was hired by the nobles to dispose the terror of Namimori City. But Nekomasa was intelligent along with his ruthlessness. He knew the Hibari were powerful, but also knew that the mystical powers of the Hibari were dwindling. Nekomasa had servants both cats and humans that aided in hiding him. Nekomasa was patient and eventually his trail became cold. In time, Nekomasa became powerful as more Hibari lost their spiritual abilities. The Hibari refused the help of the Tejinaka but the Tejinaka came and dealt with Nekomasa, in a peaceful way. Nekomasa was charmed by a female Tejinaka, who was sweet and gentle just like Tsunami. She even agreed with Nekomasa's sense of judgment. He never harmed the innocent, only punishing those that wronged them. After some talk, Nekomasa agrees to settle down and he even stopped eating humans and merely pulled pranks that caused trouble within the household. But the Hibari never had forgotten their humiliation of their elusive prey within their territory.

"Dammit!" swore Hayato.

'_Yeah, I was an impulsive brat like you…I didn't care for the consequences; Just my own bloody satisfaction_.' The cat sighs, '_Now with me being dead and hiding inside a human, I'm an easy target…or should I say we are easy targets_!'

"Of all nights…!"

'_Well…we could use this opportunity as a warm-up. Let's review Cat Senses 101_," Nekomasa smirks. '_I didn't survive all these years on my magic alone! It was just good of old-fashion feline skills._'

Hayato feels Nekomasa's powers fill him from the soles of his feet to the ends of his hair. It was like an electric pulse. The world around him speeds up but he was able to remain focus of his surroundings. It reminded him of that special effect in movies of moving at a high-speed but the objects remain clear.

'_A few facts about us cats, when we're hunting we don't blink. We shape our pupils get a full-near panoramic view of our world. We do this so we won't miss the slightest movements of our prey_."

'Is that why cats chase after the red dot?'

'…_shut up and run_…_go to the roof_!'

Hayato leaps onto a wall, runs over the top and leaps across yard and lands on a roof. Hayato looks down on elder Hibari who manages to leap over the wall, into the yard. Hibari glares at him. Nekomasa urges Hayato to move. Hibari is one of the last Hibari that had strong spiritual powers. He holds his hand up to his face and mumbles a chant. Using his staff, he points it at Hayato. Curious, Hayato stays put. At the tip of the staff a spiritual ball forms.

"Soul Fire!" he roars and hurls the ball at him.

Hayato darts from the corner of the roof onto another house's roof. Nekomasa growls at Hayato. The boy should know by now the merciless and ruthlessness of the Hibari. Their spiritual powers were created to destroy. Destroy body and soul. Even after the land god, Mori, had cursed the family to gradually lose their powers with every generation, the Hibari continued their duty to Namimori City and still obliterated the souls and spirits plaguing the city. The remaining Hibari used destructive spells and powerful spiritual instruments that enhanced the spells. Looking back over Hayato's shoulder, he sees a gaping, singed hole on the top of the roof.

'The old man has plenty of spiritual power left. He's the last Hibari to have so much power. But he is old; we have to wear him out.'

There was a crash and Hibari was on the roof appearing to be in a blaze! Hayato hears Nekomasa purr within him. He could feel the cat's pleasure and it gives Hayato assurance that the situation was in their favor. He knew why Nekomasa was pleased by Hibari's intimidating aura. Knowing their history together, Hibari was going to put his pride and all his mental, spiritual and physical power in destroying Nekomasa. He wasn't going to let such an opportunity escape him.

'_Boy, it looks like we're going to have to have a showdown. We might have to tap into our supply of spiritual energy…but…it we weaken the old man we could absorb his remaining energy! We'll be killing two birds with one stone. Not only we could replenish our energy…but we'll definitely cut down his and he'll be weak indefinitely_!'

'_It would have to be fast and we have to give it our all, Nekomasa. We're can't be late_!"

'I _know. By the way…you have dropped –sama from my name…what happened to that?_'

Hayato smirks to himself, '_Well, when you died our contract came null and void. Also, you're a part of me and we'll be one being someday. I will not call myself anything that would make me higher than the Boss_.'

'….._I guess I can agree to tha_t,' Nekomasa huffs.

"Hey, old man!" Hayato barks, "How's about a little contest!"

"What are you up to, boy?" Hibari narrows his cold, gray eyes.

Really, it's like looking in the future right before him Hayato thought. He could easily see the younger version of Hibari, the school perfect Kyoya.

"You know both us our powers are limited. Because of me being a human and inexperience with Nekomasa's powers…I may not be able to handle so much power. But I'm young and reckless. I'll take the risk. I need to be somewhere in a timely manner. And you! You're ready to go out in a blaze of glory. You've been hunting Nekomasa for years. Your father and maybe even your own grandfather had been chasing this cat's tail. You'll burn every speck of your energy to take him down."

"I am prepared. Foolish boy, your reliance on this demon will be the end of you tonight."

Hayato's eyes both turn cat's eye green. He bares elongated canines. Hayato is engulfed by red flames. It wraps around him, close to his body. With a grunt, Hibari reaches deep into the very core of his soul and brings out his spirit energy. His aura circles around him and expands in many feet away from him. It seemed that Hibari was terribly powerful and overwhelming!

"This is the end Nekomasa! This boy's life is on your head."

"_**I heard that line so many times for 100 years. As for Hayato, his life is my life and we're not going to die tonight**_. _**Tsunami needs us**_."

* * *

Tsunami knew Hayato was usually punctual, especially with involving the Mafia. It was 5 minutes before 11 o' clock. The Cervello warns if Hayato didn't arrive on time he would be disqualified. Belphegor adds with a snicker that whether Hayato arrived or not, he would go after his opponent. Tsunami glares at him for his threatening words. Like hell she would let him touch Hayato! Belphegor snickers.

"Shishishishi, ohhhh, look at that 'scary' look in your eyes! Do you honestly think you can protect your little friends! You couldn't stop that little cow without help from that monster! I don't know why Squalo is worried about you…or why Xanxus finds you interesting…"

"Voi!" growls Squalo, "Keep your damn opinions to yourself!"

Belphegor shrugs and snickers. The ticking of the clock in the hall ticks in sync with her thudding heart. Deep in heart, she hopes that Hayato doesn't make it. If it comes to that and Belphegor pursues Hayato anyway, she WILL stop him. She feels her cheek being pinched. She looks to Reborn being the culprit. He catches her gaze and gives her a knowing stare and whispers for her special hearing to catch.

'You were starting to growl,' he breathes.

Tsunami bit her lip. She didn't realize she was. Fortunately, it was only the beginning of a growl that only Reborn caught, being on her shoulder. Her ear twitches, catching the sound of fizzing of a fuse burning. A stick of dynamite hits the clock. Shattered glass and gear parts scatter. Hayato walks into the hall with a confident stride that would make a female feline turn her head.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss!"

He steps up to her and grins down on her. One eye was forest green and the other acid green. Tsunami felt that he was spiritually charged. He was much more charged than she last felt from him just last night. It even felt familiar. Before she could question him, Hayato lifts her chin and he captures her lips purring. Tsunami jolts in surprise, then purrs in return. Lips peck and move over her each other. Teeth click and clack against each other before he pulls away with smack. He licks his licks and winks.

"Had some stuff to take care of."

The Varia: Squalo, Mammon and Belphegor stare in shock. They looked between Hayato and the Sun Guardian.

"What the hell?" Mammon questions.

Shamal stumbles up behind the Cervello and drapes his arms over their shoulders. He had seen Hayato lip-locking with Tsunami. He whistles and gives a squeeze to the Cervello's breasts. He whistles.

"Go Hayato!" He smirks.


	10. Chapter 10: Storm Cat

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Ten: Storm Cat

'I can't believe I did that!'

'_**Calm down, boy**_.'

'What was I thinking!?'

'_**Kid, c'mon**_…'

'I had no right…'

'_**Oh, don't start that crap! Look into those eyes of hers…look**_!'

Hayato never initiated such a mind-blowing kiss! He only pecked her cheeks or other parts or face and maybe even her hand. But he never kissed her lips. Tsunami had to catch him off-guard to kiss him sometimes! Her eyes were lit up in pleasant surprise and seemed very pleased.

"Hayato-kun…Nekomasa-sama…what's gotten into you two," she giggles.

"_**There's plenty more where that came from!**_" Nekomasa winks.

"Ah, but…but…only if want it, Tenth!"

Tsunami huffs and shakes her head. Across the bridge of his nose was a red flush. Her heart was racing and she coos.

"You should do that more often, Hayato-kun," she purrs.

Hayato gasps and his blush deepens. Nekomasa purrs within Hayato's mind. To Nekomasa, Tsunami seemed much more beautiful than before through Hayato's eyes. Not that he didn't find Tsunami attractive when he was a cat, oh no! He had been in love with Tsunami for a very long time. Tsunami reminded him of the Tejinaka female that appealed to him to stop killing nobles for the sake of peace. Tsunami was just like her, so much like her. He would have taken the female for himself, but that special Tejinaka belonged to another and she was very happy with him. Years later, Tsunami was born and grew up in Namimori. His followers informed Nekomasa that a Tejinaka had arrived. He watched over the little human-bat child for a long time and didn't approach her until her father left. He gave her comfort and companionship and in return she gave him affection. He knew that he was in love. His rash decision to fuse his soul to Hayato was the best idea he had ever had…though it was mostly motivated by vengeance.

There was a great crack that disrupts their little world. Hayato and Nekomasa hiss as they turn their head along with a startled Tsunami to Shamal. The Cervello had been groped by Shamal and have given him an elbow into his face. The Cervello showed that they were quite strong and sent the perverted doctor's back against the wall.

"What are you _**doing here!?**_" Hayato and Nekomasa growl as one.

Shamal glares at them, "I'm a doctor. Some ladies here might get injured tonight," he winks at Tsunami.

Hayato blocks Shamal's view of Tsunami. The Varia were taken aback by Shamal's appearance. Shamal was scouted out by their organization but the doctor turned them down. Yet, the potential Varia candidate was siding with some kids. They suspect that the other Arcobaleno, Reborn, may have something to do with their connections. Tsunami and Hayato are pulled into the group for a pre-battle huddle. Hayato had pulled away, refusing to join the embarrassing motivational hype. But Tsunami grabs his hand, blushing along with him. She looks up at with her large, brown eyes pleadingly.

"I know how you feel, but, it is kind of affirming."

Hayato blinks. His hand is held tightly in both of her hands.

"It's like…we're connected to each other. When I am in touch with you all…I feel all your souls are alive…warm and bright. I want to hold on how you feel…until you come back to me after the fight."

A lump grew in Hayato's throat. His lips quivers and he could feel tears of happiness and joy prick at the corner of his eyes. Nekomasa was also caught up with Hayato's emotions. Reborn was also touched by her words. Takeshi pulled her closer to him by the shoulder and presses his lips against her cheek with a loud moan. Ryohei gives Tsunami a warm smile and leans forward enough to rub their foreheads together.

"Boss…I here ya'! It's a family thing! Let's do it!"

Tsunami beams at her boys.

"Tsunami!" Reborn tosses something at her.

Tsunami claps her hands together to catch the object. Opening her palms she bit her lip, to keep from crying. In her hands was Lambo's tail. It was cut off during the battle. She clutches the tail and holds it close to her chest. She turns her head sharply to Hayato.

"Hayato! Nekomasa-sama! Please, I beg you don't die! Even if you have to give up the ring! Give it up to keep yourself alive! Promise me!"

"I promise."

Tsunami wraps Lambo's tail around her wrist. She and her boys drape their arms around each other, forming a circle.

"All right!"

"Let's do this!"

"Gokudera, FIGHT!"

Shamal and Reborn were watching the group. The doctor smiles wistfully. He knew of Hayato's struggle to be accepted into a familgia. Hayato has finally found that true family and perhaps, based on the earlier public display of affection, may have found someone special for him. Though he questions her close relationships with the other two boys; he was very curious about that!

The Cervello had made preparations for the Storm battles. Cameras had been placed throughout the entire the third floor as the arena. The cameras feed to the monitors that were placed in two different classrooms in another building. One room was for the Vongola and the other for the Varia. After both sides were placed in the rooms the Cervello activate laser sensors that were installed in the door to prevent interference. Tsunami bristles a bit. They were trying to make sure that Tsunami wouldn't save her friend. Honestly, they learned nothing from Tsunami to think they could physically stop her. If she really wanted to, she could have asked the ghosts within Namimori School itself to protect Hayato. But, that wouldn't be fair. The ghosts had been disturbed that their haunting place, their home, had been filled with violence and destruction. Tsunami soothed them with words and her spirit. She assures them that the school was always repaired after each battle by the Cervello. They can't interfere…unless she asks them in case of the situation becoming dire, but she keeps that little element of surprise to herself. The combatants weren't allowed to leave the floor. They were allowed to go through the halls and other classrooms. There was a rumbling sound and the sliding doors and windows rattle. The door and windows of a classroom were smashed through by desks and chairs! The desk and chairs go through the wall and out the window leading out to the courtyard becoming shattered debris. Like the last two battles, there was some sort of device apart of the arena that represents their element. Hurricane turbines were placed through the third floor. They were devices that were able to create powerful winds going in four directions. This match was timed for fifteen minutes. If neither of the opponents were able to obtain each other's ring-half, explosives were placed within the turbines to go off, one-by-one destroying the floor.

Hayato and Belphegor were left to themselves in the hallway. Hayato rolls his shoulders as he stares down his opponent. The blonde assassin was grinning from ear to ear with his pearly white, straight teeth. He had been smiling since he arrived. It did falter for a second when Hayato grabbed Tsunami and kissed her passionately. Hayato could feel energy pulsing through him. He felt it in his muscles flexing and stretching beneath his skin. Smells came to him. He could distinct the scents in the air, from the wood of the desks and the old scents of the students and faculty. The scents of the others still lingered in the air. Tsunami's scent was sweet and soft with the undertone of her nervousness. It made him all the more determine to win this fight. He scented out Belphegor's scent and it disturbed him. The assassin smelled of blood, fresh blood a few hours old from two different people. The nape of Hayato's hair stood on end. Belphegor lived up to his reputation of being a bloodthirsty killer.

"Hmmm, you used bombs…how obvious…" the prince looks over Hayato's holstered bombs.

Belphegor notes Hayato's unflinching gaze. His eyes were trained on him. The boy's nose was flaring slightly. Belphegor saunters up to him and lifts a hand to reach for his shoulder.

"Relax you're tensing your shoulders too much…"

Hayato grabs Belphegor's wrist before he could touch him. He grips his wrist tightly.

"_**What do you think you're doing, boy?**_"

Hayato lifts Belphegor's palm outwards to himself. On his hand was a needle sticking outward. Belphegor loses his smile for the second time. Hayato tilts his head, observing the needle; his cat eyes had caught a glint of light and saw the wires. A silver brow arches.

"_**Well, well…**_" he murmurs. "_**Aren't you tricky?**_"

He releases Belphegor and pushes him away. Hayato's smile shows a fang and he doesn't say anymore. It would be pointless to point it out. He was sure the Cervello would have some sort of excuse in favor of the assassin prince. Belphegor had thought Hayato was an idiot, but he was probably smarter than he looks. Belphegor returns Hayato's smile and snickers to himself.

"The Storm Ring Battle between Belphegor and Hayato Gokudera will now begin!"

It was like a Western showdown as both Hayato and Belphegor darted their hands towards to their respective weapons. Hayato's pulls out a stick of dynamite and Belphegor pulls out three curved knives. They are flung passed each other towards their targets. Hayato sidesteps the knives as his bomb goes off around Belphegor. Smoke fills the hall and slowly dissipates. Belphegor is seen through the smoke and it appeared that he had received no damage. Hayato narrows his eyes.

'_**Curious.**_'

Hayato agrees. He couldn't see anything through the smoke to see how Bel managed to escape damaged. Did he simply dodged by stepping away from the blast? It was too much distance for the young assassin to simply take a meager step back out of the blast zone. He sees a glint in his eyes and he notices it forming a loop. To Hayato's surprise, he sees blades circling above him. Knives, along with that wire he had seen in Belphegor's hand. Hayato sees the slightest twist of Belpehgor's wrist and the blades bear down on him. He leaps back out of the way. He probably wouldn't have dodged so easily if Belphegor had managed to trap him with the wire. Hayato pulls out several sticks of dynamite and prepares to throw them and freezes. He felt it on his skin and his ear twitches. He glances to right. A machine whines and there was a howling wind that becomes a roar! He jumps back in a crouch as a burst of wind bulldozes through the wall. There were several room and walls that were also blown through. Belphegor claps his hands and speaks over the wind.

"Well done! This prince is impressed that you're able to sense the wind just like me!"

He raises his hand with knives between his fingers. The winds were still tearing through the halls. It was whipping his hair about his face. Nekomasa curses Hayato's hair. Hayato ignores him, eyes still trained on the prince's hand. There was no way he could throw those knives through the wind…unless that! The knives are flung and Hayato leaps through the window of a classroom.

'_**Got to hand it to that brat, he's good. Without my eyes, you wouldn't have noticed those wires that connected to the walls and floor behind you from that first attack**_. _**Those knives were able to get through the wind by traveling on those wires**_. '

Hayato nods. Those wires were nearly invisible thin. He only caught the wires with the glint from the lights in the hall. Even those were slight. Hayato didn't hear Belphegor enter the classroom under the roaring and whining of the turbines. The assassin prince was in stealth mode. Careful to stay of out sight for his prey for very alert and caught the slightest movement. He was annoyed that Hayato managed to catch his little stunt to trap him to his wires. There was a turbine in the classroom and Belphegor tosses a few knives into the wind currents. The knives travel through the paths of the winds and two of the knives manage to connect. Hayato's face is cut across his cheek and one entered his side. Hayato yelps and leaps onto his feet. Belphegor grins; he had drawn the first blood!

"_Three minutes have elapsed._" A Cervello announces through the intercoms.

"Do you know the role of the Storm Guardian? It's to be the furious storm at the heart of an attack. I'm quite suited to it."

More knives are thrown and are blown through the wind currents. It was like a tornado was in the center of the room and knives were tossed everywhere. Hayato darts about the room. Trying to avoid the dancing blades, Hayato was unable use this dynamite. The prince didn't let up. It was turning the room into a true storm of blades. Hayato winces as he moved and dodged. He had to get out of the room. He scrambles to the second entrance of the classroom. He slips out of the doorway while sticking a pair of dynamite with clay. The explosion puts distance between himself and Belphegor. Hayato escapes into a science room.

'_**This is getting annoying, boy…and boring**_!' complains Nekomasa.

"We're not here to entertain, Nekomasa! Did is do or die!" Hayato snaps.

He wipes his cheek with a thumb. It was only a cut. It didn't hurt that much. It just surprised him a little. He hears Nekomasa snort from his thoughts. He ignores him and focuses on listening for the prince. His hand was at the ready with dynamite between his fingers. He could hear his footsteps faintly in the hall. Growling in annoyance, Hayato thought that Belphegor was still too confident. He was also the one that landed a blow on him! The dynamite in his hand was cut in half. He throws the destroyed sticks away from him.

"What the hell!? No way he could of done that!"

Shockingly, more blades cut around the corners and through the windows. Hayato moved, but was struck several times. He cries out in pain.

'_**YOU DUMB BRAT! YOU WERE HIT**_!'

"I'm well aware of that, dammit!"

'_**No you, fool! You have a blade stuck to your side…it must be laced with something that didn't let you feel it**_!'

Hayato reaches down to his side. The blade that he got in the last room he was in was there in his side. Hayato recalls Belphegor's first trap right before the fight started. Belphegor tried to connect a wire to him; in his hand besides the wire was needle…that was probably laced with an anesthetic! That one blade in his side must of have been covered in the stuff and fast-acting. Hayato curses for missing that one!

"I don't need to see you to catch you…" hums Belphegor. "I'm not a phony like you. I'm a prince after all. I pity any boss who would pick you as a storm guardian!"

Hayato freezes. Belphegor was right. He was making Tsunami look bad. He was becoming a bloody mess…probably scaring her half to death as she watched him struggling!

'…_**Tch, enough of this**_!' growls Nekomasa. '_**I'm taking over**_!'

Hayato gasps and clutches his body. He collapses onto the ground and tightens into a ball. Tsunami and the others see this and were alarmed.

"Did Gokudera get hit!?" asks Takeshi.

"He was stuck by those knives but I don't think he was hit anywhere extremely vital!"

Tsunami was watching Hayato carefully. His hair was going from silver-gray to white and two ears sprouted on the top of his head. The hands wrapped around his shoulders were growing claws. From under his jacket a white, long fluffy tail. Shamal's eyes widen.

"Tsunami…is this one of those freaky supernatural stuff?! What's happening to Hayato?! I know that he's been acting strange…he keeps talking to himself…having conversations…his personality changes ever few minutes!"

"Shamal-sensei…do you remember Nekomasa? Remember when I was sick from Bianchi's ikiryo."

"How can I forget!? Hayato brought a giant cat to fight that giant…oh shit."

"Nekomasa-sama was killed by one of the Varia, so he combined his soul with Hayato-kun. Hayato-kun and Nekomasa-sama will eventually become one being…for now, it is two souls in body and from time to time, Nekomasa-sama would take over."

Hayato's body loosens up and he stands to his feet. His white tail twitches, his large cat ears swivel about and his clawed hands flex and crack. With his claws, he combs back his hair smoothly back and he lifts his eyes. Both were now acid green. Taking a deep breath he smiles. He reaches for the blade and holds it in his hand. He wraps the wire tied to the handle. Looking up, he spots an anatomy dummy model. Belphegor was still stalking through the halls. He pulls out over a dozen knives in his hand.

"After a final grand barrage, you'll look like a spiny cactus. Toodles~!"

The many blades are thrown and they follow the currents into the room and strike! Belphegor hears the blades stick into his prey. He grins as a body crashes through the classroom window into the hallway before him. He was grinning in triumph but it was wiped away when he realizes that it wasn't Hayato but an anatomical model! Hayato steps out of the room coolly and stood in the middle of the hallway and with a tilted hip and hands on his hips.

"_**So much for your grand barrage**_," he lifts a hand from his hip and tugs on a wire. The model rocks from the tugging. "_**You had your fun, but it's high time to end this game**_."

Nekomasa takes a step back, just in time from being blown away but the winds. The turbines had cut off for a moment, and then turn back on in alternate directions. The winds were blowing across the hallway between him and Belphegor. Nekomasa reaches in Hayato's jacket and pulls out more sticks of dynamite. If one had a keen eye the dynamite he just pulled were different in appearance from the other plain sticks of dynamite. It had symbols on them and the fuse ends were different. The ends were lit and Nekomasa tosses the bombs.

"…_**Why didn't you used these before!?**_" Nekomasa hisses.

The bombs approach the wind currents and everyone assumed that they wouldn't make it through! But the sticks of dynamites bottom ends are lit as well. The sticks of dynamite push through the currents traveling further down the hall. Belphegor wasn't expecting this and couldn't react in time. The dynamite goes off!

"A new technique!?" Tsunami realizes.

"Yes, rocket bombs. What do you think?" Shamal grins.

"…Why didn't he use those before!?" Tsunami huffs relieved and slightly annoyed.

Shamal chuckles, "The bombs can change course, thanks to the built-in jet of propulsive gunpowder. Hayato lacks speed. Hand bombs have a time factor and an arcing trajectory. They don't track targets. It would have taken the five days he should have been with me…but he managed to do it…thanks to his kitty friend." Shamal scratches his head. "But, he did something to me…got in my head…"

"Nekomasa and other creatures like him have the ability to learn techniques and skills by possessing people. They've gone into your head to figure out what you were trying to teach Hayato-kun."

"Hmph, damn brat, damn cat…"

A low snicker draws their attention from their conversation. The snicker becomes a mad glee of laughter. The smoke was clearing and Belphegor was staggering about gripping his head and body. Blood was streaming down his face and neck, staining his clothes. His smile was wide, his white teeth was half of his face. He breaks out cackling and screaming.

"Royal blood…has been spilled! My royal blood…has been spilled…it won't stop!" he screams.

"He has seen his own blood, and so, the Prince Ripper will come forth," Mammon predicts ominously.

Belphegor was screaming his head off and laughing like mad. He kept crying about his blood and seemed rather overjoyed that he had received pain. Nekomasa was unfazed, while Hayato was a bit alarmed by Belphegor's behavior. Squalo watches and was disturbed. He didn't care for Belphegor when he becomes insane.

"Bel gets excited when he sees his own blood because it brings up memories of his brother. When he was young, he stabbed his twin brother to death. When he told me about it," Squalo sighs, "He said he mistook his brother for a cockroach and got the greatest pleasure out of killing him…" he shakes his head, "That expression shows his strangely innocent yet unconcealed sadism."

Tsunami shuddered. She heard Squalo's story of Belphegor. "Innocent? I don't think so. He's just a happy killer."

Nekomasa pulls out more rocket bombs and flings them down the hall. Belphegor was still staggering and laughing as the bombs make toward him. To Nekomasa and Hayato's surprise Belphegor rushes forward! His speed was unbelievable, he passes the bombs, dodging them and they go off behind him. He had managed to outrun them. Belphegor doesn't stop his mad rush towards Hayato, he was giggling. Nekomasa turns and runs.

"Ah! Wait!" Belphegor calls after him.

"_**Catch me if you can brat**_!"

"_The time limit will expire in six minutes_."

Nekomasa slips into the library. He hides in between the book aisles and growls to himself. He had enough playing Hayato's way; he crouches low to the ground and digs his claws into the flooring. The claws scrape and tear into the floor as his tail flickers in anticipation. Cat ears prick forward when he hears Belphegor entering the library, singing for him to come out of hiding. Nekomasa yowls in a threatening manner, as his ears flatten and his hair bristles. The library had only one way in and out, one door. Nekomasa had led Belphegor into a dead end. It could be either risky for himself or for Belphegor. This was the final stand! Belphegor laughs and begins flinging knives through the wind currents blowing through library. They slash through books and cut around every aisle of the libraries. To the spectators of both sides, they watch as Nekomasa as Hayato dodged the knives…barely. He ran around the library, leaping over the book carts, over and through the aisles as a blur of white.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty~!" giggles Belphegor and he unleashes wave after wave of knives.

But as Nekomasa moved, his cuts and turns were getting shorter as well as his paths. Then he suddenly stops. He was in the center of the library and he suddenly stops. He was standing and looking around him. He smirks.

"_**Uh oh…it looks like you got me an in trap, you clever brat**_."

'_Nekomasa_!'

"_**I know, I know. It's those damn wires. They've filled the room and now I can't move**_."

"Shishishi, you shouldn't talk to yourself! People might think you're crazy! Don't worry though," Belphegor pulls out a set of knives. "With these final blades of mine, I would put you out of your misery!"

"_**Ohhhh? Those are the last of your blades? You have been flinging them about all willy-nilly**_!"

"Heh, heh…you're finished!"

The knives are thrown and Nekomasa was a sitting duck. The knives pierce into Hayato's body and Nekomasa grunts in pain…but still was smiling as blood spilled from his mouth.

'_Dammit! What the hell_!' swore Hayato.

Nekomasa chuckles through the pain, his eyes flashes dangerously.

"_**Now, you're finished**_!"

Nekomasa opens Hayato's hands and red balls of fire form in his hands. Belphegor flinches. He turns his palms down slightly and lets the fire balls fall away. They drop upon the floor and it was shown that on the ground were trails of gunpowder all through the library! Hayato and Nekomasa were working together, putting each other skills to good use to survive this fight. They had never fought alone.

"_**I'll admit, bombs are fun to play with**_!"

'_Heh_!' Hayato chuckles. '_Hadn't doubted you for a second, Nekomasa_!'

"_**Sure you didn't**_!"

The fire touches the gunpowder and they explode. Fortunately, there was enough space around Nekomasa for him not to get caught in the blast. The blast knocks over the bookcases which loosens the knives and wires. Now free to move, Nekomasa pulls out rocket bombs and catches Belphegor with his attack. It was great multitude of bombs he had thrown. It was a triple rocket bomb attack!

"I think we have ourselves a Storm Guardian," Shamal smiles proudly.

BARROOOM-!

It was a great blast that completely smothers the room with dark smoke. Thanks to the turbines, the thick, dark smoke was blown out quickly to reveal Belphegor sprawled upon a pile of books, against a crumbling wall. Clothes, skin and hair were singed and burnt along with cuts and bruises. He lay unmoving.

"_You haven't won the match yet. You must take the Storm ring half and connect to you own. Three minutes remaining._"

"_**Of course**_…" Nekomasa rolls Hayato's eyes.

Nekomasa approaches Belphegor and kneels on one knee beside him. He reaches for the ring on the chain around the prince's neck. He was about to yank it off when Belphegor's hand snaps out and grabs Hayato's ring. Nekomasa was greatly startled and even screeches in a cat-like manner. Belphegor screams that he was going win. Nekomasa rolls with Belphegor, fighting to keep his ring and to take Belphegor's. Somehow, Belphegor was able to fight despite his extreme injuries, his madness and instincts were driving him to fight! Nekomasa refused to lose to this Varia! One of them killed him and he was going to make his opponent suffer for his death! Nekomasa becomes larger and furrier, his clothes stretch and tear. As he grows, he becomes stronger and presses a hand to Belphegor's chest and holds him place. Growling rumbles into Belpehgor's ears and his unseened eyes was probably looking up into Hayato's face in horror! Hayato was no longer completely human; he had turned into a large cat the size of a lion. Nekomasa roars into his face showing several inches of teeth. Belphegor shrieks and releases Hayato's ring to hold his mouth away from his neck.

"Holy shit!" Squalo yells.

All were watching the monitors! The Cervello were speechless. They all had watched a boy turn into a cat that was dangerously close to ripping Belphegor's throat out. The prince's hands were being pierced by Nekomasa's fangs as he struggles to keep it from him.

"Get away!" he yells.

The cat snarls, the paw on his chest digs its great white claws into his chest and the prince starts screaming in panic again. There was a beeping sound and a turbine a few halls away go off. Then there was an explosive domino effect! Fifteen minutes were up. There was only one minute left until the entire floor is destroyed!

"NEKOMASA! NEKOMASA!" Tsunami screams.

Her cries fall on death ears. Anger and instinct had filled Nekomasa. He was going to eliminate his enemy! He was going to avenge his death, even if it kills him again. Tsunami grips her hair. She was going to lose both Nekomasa and Hayato. If Nekomasa wasn't going to listen…she had to reach Hayato who was probably deep in the back of Nekomasa's enraged mind.

"HAYATO-KUN!" she screams. "PLEASE STOP!"

Nekomasa snarls and lunges for Belphegor's neck. Tsunami screams and covers her face.

'_NEKOMASA_!'

The cat's right eye becomes dark. His fangs had just pricked Belphegor's neck with blood staining his tongue.

'_We have to stop right now! I know you want to get back for killing you! But you know how Hime feels about killing! Didn't you promise that one relative of hers not to kill out of selfishness_?'

Nekomasa growls. He did promise her. He curses having to share such an important memory and promise with Hayato. Also, more importantly, Tsunami also was strongly against senseless killing. Nekomasa pulls away from Belphegor's neck. The prince had fainted out of right when the cat clamped around his neck. As he pulls away he pulls the ring off his neck. The turbines are exploding one by one. Nekomasa looks out the window…and then at the prince. He curls back his lips. There was one final blast and the monitor in the library bursts into static. Tsunami gasps. There was batted breath. Tsunami's legs shook and she falls to her knees. She sniffs and tears fall. Did she just lose her two dear friends?

"Hayato-kun…Nekomasa…" she whimpers.

She tentatively reaches out with a soul wave to sense for their souls. There was a crash and Nekomasa was leaping out of the window. He lands on all fours onto the ground. Tsunami jumps to her feet. After the last turbine had gone off the lasers have deactivated. She rushes out of the room followed by her friends. She makes it outside to see Nekomasa with Belphegor dangling out of his mouth by his coat. He none to gently drops the boy and he shifts back to Hayato's human form. Tsunami stomps up to him.

"Neko…masa-sama?"

He smirks and spits out Belphegor's half-ring into his hand and connects the rings together.

"_**Yes**_," he purrs.

SMACK! Tsunami slaps him across the face.

"_**OW**_!?" Nekomasa was surprised.

'Well…YOU did scare her half to death in more ways than one! That really did hurt…' Hayato pouts.

"You…you big…" Tsunami sniffles.

Tsunami was pulled into Hayato's arms and he purrs in her ear. Tsunami whimpers and raises her head to kiss his chin. She sighs in defeat and decided to just be grateful that they were alive and…She looks to Belphegor. He was unconscious, he was bleeding out of his neck…but he was alive. She showers him with more kisses to his chin, neck and cheeks. Hayato and Nekomasa were purring until he jerks violently. Tsunami pulls away.

"Are you two okay?"

"_**Urgh….I think…that when I transformed…I used…a lot of energy…dammit…all that energy was used up**_…" groans Nekomasa.

He grips onto Tsunami and crumbles to his knees. Tsunami follows him down and feels him shrink into his arms. He groans and yowls and disappears beneath his clothes. Takeshi, Ryohei and Reborn look over Tsunami's shoulders in shock. Shamal appears and sees Hayato's empty clothing. Tsunami pulls the clothes away and finds a silver-gray cat with white paws, underbelly and fluffy tail tip. Along the cat's back were gray stripes. The cat opens his eyes and they were both forest green!

"Ah! Hayato-kun!"

Hayato looks up and had a sense of déjà vu! Tsunami looked bigger than usual and he felt that he had shrunk, like that last time thanks to Giovanni. He stands on his legs and finds that he can't get off of all fours. He looks behind him and sees a twitching fluffy tail! He meows and it is followed by a feline screech of panic.

'WHAT THE HELL!?' he yowls.

Tsunami sighs and picks up Hayato by the scruff of his neck. "You turned into a cat."

'YEAH! BUT WHY!?'

"You used up most of you and Nekomasa's energy in the fight. Like the physical body, your magic and spiritual energy are working to help save your body naturally. You don't have enough energy to sustain yourself in your human body so it changed you to a form where it can handle what energy you have leftover."

'Boss~!' Hayato mews pitifully.

Tsunami blushes and holds Hayato into her arms. He was a beautiful cat. She strokes his long, silky coat and giggles. Hayato blushes under his new fur. They are joined by the Varia and Cervello. They were still in shock by Hayato's previous transformation and were further stunned by Hayato's current form. The Cervello check Belphegor alongside with Squalo. Squalo's face was hard and cold. One of the Cervello goes to the Vongola side and checks over Hayato. Hayato snarls, his fur puffing out. She sees the chain hanging around the cat's neck and finds that the Storm ring was complete.

"Gokudera Hayato has won the Storm Ring. The battle has been concluded. We will announce tomorrow night's battle."

The Varia had been quiet, but Squalo speaks out.

"Hmph, your Mist and Cloud Guardian have yet to appear. It would be a shame if one of them is next!"

'_**What a gloat**_!' Nekomasa murmurs tiredly.

"Tomorrow night's match…will be between the Rain Guardians."

Squalo grins in delight.

"Excellent! I have been waiting for this moment!" he grins viciously. "Don't you dare run away, Sword Boy!"

Takeshi grins and chuckles, "'Sword Boy'? I like it! Thanks Rapunzel Guy!"

Squalo continues to grin, "You brat!"

"CAPTAIN SQUALO!"

A Varia subordinate of Levi's runs to Squalo and kneels before him, "We've been invaded! The Lightning Squad has been cut down!"

There was the sound of footsteps and everyone turns and the Vongola recognizes the intruder as their disciplinary president, Hibari Kyoya! Tsunami could feel his fury deep within his soul, though he body and face didn't show it. But, the fury was also held in his silver eyes!

"Where is he?" he asks lowly. "Where is Gokudera Hayato!?"

"W-why are you looking for him?" asks Tsunami, clutching Hayato the cat to her chest.

"That herbivore defeated my grandfather! I will bite him to death for taking my prey!"

Tsunami and her friends stare at him.

Seriously!?


	11. Chapter 11: She's a SelkieSHE?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Eleven: She's a Selkie…SHE!?

"Where is he? Where is Gokudera Hayato?" Kyoya demands.

Tsunami's group shifts nervously. Tsunami runs over Kyoya's words in her head and asks a question.

"Kyoya-sempai? What happened to Hibari-san?" Tsunami looks at the cat in her arms. "What did you do?"

"My grandfather was found on the roof of someone's house, completely drained of energy, just like the other citizens of Namimori. I spoke with my grandfather at the hospital and he was able to tell me that a demon within Gokudera Hayato took away his energy."

"Hayato!?" Tsunami screams.

'He isn't dead, Juunohime!' mews Hayato. 'It was Nekomasa's idea! Besides, the old man attacked us first! We were defending ourselves!'

Kyoya didn't miss Tsunami's conversation with the cat. The cat was too big to be held in her arms. With Kyoya's vast knowledge of animals, both wild and domestic, he guesses that the large cat was either a Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest Cat. It had to be one of those large cat breeds. He probably weighed a little over 20 pounds. He had long, silky gray-silver fur with snowy white paws, belly and face. It had striking green eyes. Kyoya blushes slightly. It was a beautiful cat.

"Pet? Did you call that cat, 'Hayato'?"

Tsunami nods, "Um, the 'demon cat' Hibari-san fought with is now a part of Hayato-kun. Hayato-kun is a cat right now."

She holds Hayato out to face Kyoya. Hayato flattens his ears and pushes his back against Tsunami's breasts. He growls lowly, nervous. Kyoya steps closer, staring down on Hayato. He tucks one of his drawn tonfa away and with his free hand strokes Hayato's head. Everyone was stunned. Tsunami not so much. She was more relieved than anything! Hayato was too surprised to swat Kyoya's hand away. Kyoya's fingers move to rub the base of Hayato's ear and Hayato melts and purrs. Kyoya pets Hayato for about a minute and he removes his hand.

"…I will fight Gokudera when he returns to normal."

"It may be awhile…" Tsunami smiles nervously.

"I will wait."

With one matter of importance put aside temporarily, Kyoya looks up and could see the destruction of the third floor. His glares at that and the others knew that he was probably furious! Fortunately, Reborn was quick to assure Kyoya that the school would be repaired as good as new. Kyoya takes Reborn's word for it and was calm once more.

"Good job, Reborn!" Tsunami beams at the little baby.

"Well, we can't have your Cloud Guardian acting out." Reborn shrugs.

"Cloud Guardian!? You got Kyoya-sempai to agree to be a guardian? How? Why?"

Kyoya pets Tsunami this time, the same way he petted Hayato. He was rubbing her behind the base of her ear, her favorite spot.

"You're my pet. It's my responsibility to make sure my pet is safe and well taken care of. I can't count on these other herbivores to perform their duty on protecting you."

Hayato snarls. Takeshi laughs off Kyoya's harsh opinions and Ryohei argued that he was more than capable.

"Besides, you don't really need them. I saw you on the night the cow was defeated. You are a carnivore," he purrs.

Tsunami blushes from his amazing compliment! Kyoya ruffles Tsunami's hair. He looks across the courtyard to the Varia. Mammon was studying him while being held by Gola Mosca, the Varia Cloud Guardian. The little baby can detect that the boy was of Varia quality. He was able to beat down all of Levi's subordinates to enter the school. Squalo was handling Belphegor, taking the beaten prince into his arms. Tsunami watches Squalo carefully. She felt that Squalo actually cared for the boy. Squalo must've have felt her eyes and turned his cold gray eyes onto her. They stare at each other for a brief moment before Squalo sneers and lifts Belphegor off the ground. The Varia departs wordlessly and wouldn't be seen until tomorrow night.

"Take care of the cat," Kyoya orders Tsunami and he leaves as well.

Hayato still had his wounds from the fight. He was healing but was still bleeding. Shamal was a doctor, but he didn't treat men nor was he a veterinarian. Tsunami decides to take Hayato to Kimiki's bathhouse and invites the boys there.

"Hey, is everybody okay?"

Tsunami gasps, "Dino-nii!"

Dino smiles gloriously upon his little sister. He was glad to finally see her again. Though he had been in Japan all this time, he had a duty to perform training Kyoya, much to Tsunami and the others' surprise. Dino had taken Kyoya away from Namimori so they wouldn't cause any damages to the perfect's precious school. They traveled to the mountains, oceans and rivers! Dino had been looking for Kyoya, but learns that he had just missed his student by mere minutes. Dino is also invited to the bathhouse along with Romario. Dino gives Romario a fair warning of the bathhouse's customs.

* * *

At the bathhouse, Dino and Takeshi were cleaning themselves before entering the baths.

"Yamamoto, there's something that you should know about your opponent, Squalo."

"You know him?"

"I know him well enough..."

Tsunami, Basil, Ryohei and Reborn were already in the bath. It was a medicinal bath with soothing herbs for their muscles and encouraged healing for cuts and bruises. Tsunami made sure to clean Hayato's wounds very well. Her fingers and hands were all over him and she had gently dug her fingers through his thick fur to find his cuts. Hayato was in the water in Tsunami arms. Hayato rested his head on her shoulders, his wet fur blanketing over her torso. He looks like a gray mop draped over her. Ryohei and Basil watch enviously as Hayato is showered with affection by Tsunami. Tsunami senses their jealously and smiles at them.

"Yes?" Tsunami looks from side to side of her.

Reborn chuckles at her "innocent' enquiring. Ryohei pokes out his lip and turns his head.

"Nothing!"

"It is not my place to complain," Basil smiles slightly.

Tsunami giggles and spreads her legs to brush them against their legs. Ryohei grins while Basil blushes violently. Reborn was drinking tea from a floating tray when a thought comes to him.

"Ah, Tsunami. Would you like to see what the Ninth looks like?"

"You have a picture of him? And you decide to show him now?"

Reborn shrugs and pulls out a photo from out of nowhere. Basil takes the photo and passes it to Tsunami. The photo was of an elderly man in a suit, posing in front of a window in a chair. In his arms was an adorable sleeping puppy. Tsunami stares at the photo in disbelief. The image of the Ninth wasn't who she had imagined. He looked like a sweet, kind old man. Basil said that the Ninth and his generation inspired loyalty. Tsunami questions that. Who would follow a man that would choose a girl outside of the mafia and expect her to fight for him? She puts the photo away behind her.

"I don't like him!"

Reborn raises a brow but continues to smile. It appeared that Tsunami had no recollection of meeting the Ninth when she was young. Reborn knew of that visit many years ago. The Ninth couldn't get enough of the girl and little Tsunami adored the man. She stilled hat that round, old lion doll he gave her on her bed!

They are later joined by Takeshi and Dino.

"I was telling Yamamoto what I know about Squalo. It would be valuable information for him that may help him in his fight against him." Dino slides into the water with a blissful sigh.

Romario follows after his boss and was startled to see Tsunami. He was warned but didn't expect Tsunami to be so revealing. Fortunately, Hayato's fur covered much of her body. Dino encourages Romario to join him and once his right-hand was comfortable as he could Dino begins on Squalo's history.

Squalo Superbi started out amongst the mafia as an unknown. The first time Dino saw him was when he was in a middle school for mafia children. Squalo was fourteen when he was enrolled by the Varia's former boss, Sword Emperor Tyr. Squalo didn't speak at all during his first year and seemed to have had a hard time reading and writing. Other mafia students tried to pick on him, but the bullying quickly was nipped in the bud. Squalo was a vicious fighter and had a talent in swordmaship. He was under the Sword Emperor's tutelage for the Varia Boss saw great potential in Squalo's swordsmanship. He was pulled out of school for long periods of time and sent on assignments given to Squalo by his teacher to fight various swordsmen of different styles and skills. Squalo never stuck to a particular style. The Emperor recognized that Squalo absorbed many skills and attacks and mastered them making them his own!

"He was like a hungry shark, reacting to the smell of blood, without considering the consequences."

When Dino described Squalo as an animal, she frowns to herself and goes into her thoughts.

During Squalo's training, he wasn't yet involved with any Varia activity. Tyr kept Squalo to himself exclusively. He treated his student like a well-guarded treasure. They even trained in private and it was said that Squalo lived with Tyr in his personal quarters away from Varia Headquarters. Squalo didn't go to school for two-days. Squalo had recently come back from another assignment and he usually has a few days to weeks between assignments. There was a huge uproar from the Varia. Squalo stepped within the headquarters for the first time…with the head of Sword Emperor Tyr in hand! By defeating Tyr, Squalo became the new Varia Boss.

"Wait, Squalo was the Varia Boss…before Xanxus?" asks Takeshi.

"So how did Xanxus become the boss?" asks Ryohei.

"I don't know," Dino shakes his head.

"….I think, I know why…" Tsunami claims.

Tsunami strokes Hayato's back, "Nekomasa-sama kept calling Squalo a 'sea dog'. He described his scent as old sea water. I smelled that too and more…I called my relatives that do a bit of traveling outside of Japan and told them about the scent. One of them told me what that scent was. She's a Selkie."

"Um…." Takeshi scratches his head, "What's a Selkie?"

Ryohei thinks hard and it dawns on him, "Oh, I know what that is! A Selkie is like some magic seal!"

"Squalo is a magic seal?" Dino laughs awkwardly. "Tsunami-chan…I know that you're…" Dino looks at Romario, "Er…have connections and knowledge of the supernatural. But, Squalo a magic seal?"

"No, it makes sense now after you told us about Squalo! You said she was taken in by the last Varia Boss, right?"

"Yeah…but…"

"She didn't speak her first year at your school!"

"Yeah…but if I can correct…."

"You said the Varia Boss Tyr was possessive of Squalo. He kept her to himself."

"Um, Tsu-chan," Takeshi was grinning. "You mean 'he', right?"

"Selkies are part of the fae," Tsunami bulldozes on.

"Selkies are faeries?" Dino tilts his head.

"Yes. There are hundreds of varieties and Selkies are one. They are usually benevolent, depending on what species of seal they are. Selkies are animals but they come on shore and become human by removing their skins. According to the stories, female Selkies have this tendency to have their skins stolen by men. When their skin is stolen they are unable to return to the sea. They are bounded to the one who possesses their skin. Selkies were mostly known to have originated from around Iceland, Scotland and Ireland or farther up north. Being of the fae, Squalo probably spoke some fae-dialect which is very old, so she probably didn't speak any human language. She must have been a part of her herd secluded from the modern day human world for a long time…she must've had been visiting some shore for the first time and due to her inexperience…" Tsunami's face saddens. "She must have lost her skin to Tyr…"

Dino, Romario, Reborn and the boys were drawn in by the story of Selkies. Dino vaguely recalls fairy tales of beautiful women being tied to men who managed to get their hands on their skins. The women in the stories are trapped with their "lovers" until years later, when the man lets his guard down, they finally find their skin and escape to the sea. They would even abandon their children to return to the sea.

"If…if that's true, Tsunami," Dino bit his lip, "After Squalo killed the Sword Emperor, why didn't he leave?"

"Maybe she couldn't…maybe after killing Tyr…she still couldn't find her skin."

"Tsunami, why do you keep referring Squalo as a 'she'?" asks Dino.

Tsunami looks at Dino, "Because, according to her scent, Squalo's female."

Reborn's little eyebrows rose. Romario and Dino's mouths fell open.

"SQUALO'S A WOMAN!?" they yell.

"As for Xanxus taking her place…I think for Squalo, she acknowledge Xanxus an alpha male and stood down for him to take her place." She continues to theorize.

"….That simple?" Dino's mind was boggled.

"Animals are simple creatures."

Hayato had raised his head, staring at her in shock since Tsunami started talking. Tsunami giggles and moves forward to rub her nose against his.

* * *

The next day, Takeshi is sprawled on his back across the floor of the training hall. He was thinking over his conversation with Dino from last night. After Tsunami's big reveal of Squalo's true gender and being, Dino gives Takeshi some advice. Squalo had defeated many sword styles. Dino said that Takeshi had no chance defeating Squalo if he relied on style alone. To defeat Squalo he had to "bring something more to the fight." Takeshi sighs and squeezes his eyes shut in frustration. He had been training so hard to learn his father's style, now Dino was telling him it was pointless. The rattling of the sliding door alerts Takeshi and he sits up to see Tsunami with Reborn and Hayato. She smiles at him and walks up to him to kneel on all fours beside him.

"Yo, Tsu-chan!"

"Takeshi."

She leans into his neck and licks it. Takeshi chuckles as he exposes his neck. He hums as Tsunami goes through her steps of feeding. He smiles softly when he feels the pleasant flow of his blood leaving his body to nourish Tsunami. He moves his opposite arm to bury his fingers through her hair and pets her as she feeds. She finishes her feeding with a wet healing kiss. Tsunami wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him to the ground. Takeshi hears her whine into his ear. She was worried about him.

"Ahh, Tsu-chan~!" Takeshi beams.

Hayato meows and climbs onto Tsunami.

"Haha, still a kitty-cat?"

Hayato hisses and growls at him. Reborn leans over Takeshi, blocking his vision from everything.

"Do you think you can go beyond your style?" asks Reborn.

Tsunami growls disapprovingly. She is ignored, of course by the baby. Takeshi shakes his head.

"I'm unsure…I guess I'll find out."

"Hey, Takeshi….whoops!"

Tsuyoshi steps into the training hall, carrying something long wrapped in cloth. He froze at the entrance seeing his only son snuggling with his girl-friend, non-lover. As far as his son exclaims, there was nothing going on. Tsunami didn't budge or loosen her hold of Takeshi. Tsuyoshi grins and waggles his eyebrows.

"Am I interrupting something~?"

"No!" Takeshi sits up, much to Tsunami's displeasure and she moans shamelessly. "Uh…ahem, what's up, Pop?"

"You're sword fight is today, isn't it?"

Tsuyoshi's knowledge surprised both Takeshi and Tsunami.

"Huh, how do you know about that?" asks Takeshi.

"Word gets around!" Tsuyoshi grins. "Actually, I heard it from Tsunami-chan's father. Your opponent sounds formidable."

"Yeah, she…he's strong!"

"In that case, Takeshi, take this."

Tsuyoshi removes the cloth and reveals a bamboo sword. Takeshi stands and receives the sword from his father. He holds the sword by the grip and balances it in his hand. For something that was made out of bamboo it was slightly heavy.

"It's made of steel." Tsuyoshi explains. He receives a confused look on his son's face. "Successors of Shigure Soen Ryu have passed this down for eight generations." He takes the sword from him, "This is Shigure Kintoki. If you use it like any other sword, it won't even slice a cucumber."

Tsuyoshi demonstrates as he hits the sword against cucumber. He hits it hard enough to break the cucumber, but not slice it. But if you use Shigure Soen Ryu with Shigure Kintoki…"

The remaining cucumber is tossed into the air. Shigure Kintoki was swung in a downward cut over the cucumber and it is sliced into perfect, thin circles!

"Its outer form appears and reveals a blade."

The sword was now a gleaming sword. Tsuyoshi relaxes from his cutting form and steel returns to bamboo. It was like Yamamoto's Bat, the bat that changed into a sword the faster Takeshi swung. Tsuyoshi passes the sword to his son and Takeshi takes it with gratitude.

"This is awesome! But, I don't think I will able to use it tonight…"

"What was that," Tsuyoshi glares at his son.

Tsunami had been watching the Yamamoto sitting on her knees. She flinches when Tsuyoshi nearly growled at his son. Takeshi was a bit startled as well.

"Well…the guy that I'm facing has beaten over dozens of sword-styles. I have to surpass my style to defeat him."

"Surpass it!? What are you talking about!?" roars the older Yamamoto.

Tsunami squeaks and grabs Hayato close to her. Takeshi takes a step back!

"That is complete and utter nonsense! Listen, the eight forms of Shigure Soen Ryu were cultivated and refined in battle, and all have meaning. Every move is perfect. Not a single movement goes to waste. It's an unconscionable presumption to say that you can surpass it!"

"Pop, I know you're proud of Shigure Soen Ryu, but…"

"I'm not talking about it on that level," Tsuyoshi disrupts Takeshi. "Shigure Soen Ryu is the ultimate technique! Flawless and invincible!"

* * *

"So, Yamamoto-san is going to keepth his style?" Basils asks Reborn.

"His father gave a compelling argument," said Reborn on Basil's shoulder.

Basil looks ahead of them, seeing Tsunami and Takeshi walking side by side through the school yard. Tsunami was pressed so close to him that Takeshi wraps an arm around her waist. Hayato was lying across her shoulders, his head away from Takeshi.

"Reborn-dono, is Sawada-san well? She hath been rather silent the last hours."

Reborn had noted it. Tsunami was talking less and speaking with her body and face. The baby looks up at the waxing moon.

"In a few days Tsunami would become feral when the moon is completely full."

"Feral, Reborn-dono?"

"Tsunami acts like a wild animal when the moon is full."

"Is that best for Sawada-sama!? What if her battle falls when the moon hath become full?"

Reborn smirks, "It would be troublesome if Iemitsu returns then, but I can do something about that…but, on the up side, it might give Tsunami an advantage if she went wild on Xanxus. She really cuts loose and doesn't hold her attacks back. My concern that she would lose herself…we will see."

"Decided to show up, eh, Sword Boy!?"

They all look up and see Squalo crouched above them. Tsunami snarls at Squalo and holds Takeshi's arm tightly. Squalo curls his lip, growling in reply. Takeshi slips his arm from her grasp and pets her head reassuringly.

"Of course I was going to show up. I have a new sword!" Takeshi reveals Shigure Kintoki's hidden form. "I'm just aching to try it out tonight and I'm going to use Shigure Soen Ryu. Pop said that it's invincible. So, it's gotta be!"

"'Invincible'!? That would be your famous last word!" Squalo declares.

Tsunami whines, "Takeshi…"

"It's okay, Tsunami-chan." Takeshi looks over his shoulder smiling gently. He looks back up at Squalo, "The thing is, I feel excited, like I'm in the batter's box looking for a home run."

Reborn grins at Takeshi's words. Takeshi will manage somehow in his fight.


	12. Chapter 12: The Aquarion Battle

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Twelve: The Aquarion Battle

The Rain Guardian Battle was being held in the school building B. Squalo was lead to the building by the Cervello. Tsunami snorts, closing her eyes. Hayato mews in her ear as he rubs his head under her jaw. Tsunami tilts her head and returns the head rub. Ryohei arrives and they go to Building B together.

Building B was very different than usual. All windows were sealed over by bolted plastic windows. Even the doors were sealed. They were placed over every other opening to keep something in and/or out. Tsunami lets out a deep sigh, her thoughts on Kyoya. But it was promised to the perfect that there would be repairs to the damages and alterations to his school. With most of the doors sealed it took them some time to find and entrance. One entrance was found and when walking through it they walk into a flood! Looking up it seemed as if the above level floors were busted through onto each other and were now cluttering the floor level. The water pipes were busted in several places with waterfalls pouring through the ceiling openings. The Cervello actually gave this battle arena a name, _Aquarion_! It was explained that the water will continually fill the floor. There was a water tank set up at the top floor that was filled with sea water. During the battle, the water will go on filling each floor. Tsunami becomes alarmed and she discreetly looks to Squalo. The Rain Varia Guardian was calm, her heart was steady and her soul didn't waver. But, Tsunami was still concern for the selkie. Without her coat, she couldn't swim. Why! Why was the building being filled with sea water anyway!?

"When the water reaches a certain level down here, it would trigger the release of a ferocious sea creature," said a Cervello.

Of course, the conditions are worse than they appear! Tsunami leans against Takeshi's arm and she holds it. Takeshi looks down and ruffles the top of her head. Tsunami looks up to the second level and sees the Varia and growls. Xanxus was amongst the remaining Varia. He didn't appear to be angry that the Varia Storm had lost last night. The Varia Storm, Belphegor was bandaged up. Hayato felt some pride swell within him. His tail waves behind Tsunami's back and he puffs out his furry chest, revealing the ring as it glimmered through the fur. Hayato growls echoes up to Belphegor. The Storm Varia flinches and takes a slight step closer to Squalo. Tsunami notices the action. So the Storm and Rain Varia were close. Squalo did handle him with care. Xanxus notices the ring and snorts in disgust.

"You were defeated by a damn cat…pathetic. You're worthless."

Belphegor bites down on his lip. Squalo nudges him away slightly, making him step out of hiding and stand on his own.

"It was bigger," Squalo defends the prince.

"Another monster of hers…" Xanxus grins at Tsunami.

Tsunami glares at him and resists baring her fangs at him and hissing. This man, this male human, really rubbed her the wrong way! Always challenging her; just by looking at her. But she hasn't been cowed.

"…The loser of this challenge won't leave alive. That'll be either you…or this waste of space," Xanxus declares.

Squalo looks over her shoulder and glares at Xanxus, "…Ass."

Xanxus turns and leaves the room. Squalo calls after him, spitting and cursing. What a strange partnership those two had, Tsunami thought.

"Xanxus is dead serious," comments Reborn.

"Don't be unnerved by him, Reborn."

Dino with Romario arrive and stand beside them. Dino asks Takeshi if he could watch his match. Takeshi cheerfully didn't mind at all.

"Kyoya asked me about the rings yesterday," Dino mentions.

Tsunami huffs and rolls her eyes. Kyoya had no interest in the rings. His only concern was her, his pet, his property. Didn't surprise her none.

"He's probably somewhere around here watching as well."

Now that was a surprise! Curious, Tsunami searches for his soul. He was on the highest roof of the school. His favorite spot and a spot he allows Tsunami and her friends to hang out. But that wasn't all, she sensed something else. Then she noticed the mist gathering above. Searching through the mist she felt something familiar combined with something unfamiliar. Was it…could it be…

"Tsunami! Stop day dreaming!"

Tsunami jumps and looks down to Reborn. Her friends stand around watching her. She smiles sheepishly and Takeshi and Ryohei return her smile.

"We've been doing very well so far, let's keep up this winning streak," advises Reborn.

They boys nodded. Ryohei yells for a huddle, "All right, now that we've settled that, let's include Hibari into the huddle!"

"Nya." Hayato's ears lay flat, "_Fat chance._"

"No way." Takeshi grins.

"He'd sooner kill us," Dino chuckles nervously.

Tsunami snorts.

Basil was standing away from them. She smiles at him as she approaches him and takes his hand. Basil is surprised when she pulls him to be among her friends.

"Sawada-sama? Thou…thou wouldst welcome me?"

Tsunami nods with a soft purr. She looks to her friends and they smile as well. Ryohei roughly pulls Basil close and puts an arm over his shoulder. Tsunami puts her arm over Basil's shoulder. Hayato was very glad that he was a cat but stands on his forelegs on Tsunami's shoulders. Hayato hisses when he felt Takeshi rub his back.

"YAMAMOTO! FIGHT!"

"Rain guardians, please come forward. The arena would be filling in water, so the spectator seats are outside where the battle will be shown on a big screen."

Ryohei gives Takeshi one last word of encouragement. Hayato meows from Tsunami's shoulder. Tsunami stood in of Takeshi, looking at him in the eyes. Takeshi's ever present smile shows the whites of his sparkling teeth. He leans over her and touches their foreheads together; a common bat-like form of affection and trust. Tsunami closes her eyes and makes soft chirp.

"I'll see you soon," Takeshi assures her.

Tsunami's hands gently held Takeshi's face. She gently tilts his head and seals his lips with hers. Takeshi gasps and Tsunami purrs. Fingers slip through his short crop hair and massage his scalp. Her lips press against his and pull away with her pulling on his lip before returning for another lip lock. The tip of his tongue is teased by hers with slow light strokes. A soft mew was in her ear. She pulls away and smiles at Takeshi. Takeshi was stunned with a healthy flush. She smirks and leans in close again biting his neck. He jerks out of his daze grabbing his neck.

"Alive?" she speaks her only word of the night.

Takeshi nods wordlessly. Hayato meows again. She nods to Takeshi and leaves the building. Takeshi doesn't move until he heard the door slam shut and is sealed. The hand on his neck leaves to put his fingers on his lips. He moans and slaps his hands on his face. He could feel his cheeks burning. Sure, he and Tsunami had exchanged kisses. But they were pecks on the cheek, nose…maybe the tiny corner edge of her lips. The first time their lips were fully pressed together was on Valentine's Day! It was a sweet, chaste kiss. It was innocent, compared to the kiss he just received. His body was hot now. Was this how Tsunami felt when she was in heat? The heat flowing through his body was heading down to his nether regions. He swallows and in desperation to cool off, he crouches down and splashes his face with water several times. It helped. A lot. He stands and takes a breath. Then he snorts and laughs at himself.

Takeshi arrives into the arena. Squalo stood in the middle of the floor. The entire floor was filled with water nearly up to their ankles. Squalo glares at him.

"VOI! What took you!?"

"Haha, my bad. I…" he licks his lips, "I was a little over excited, I guess, hahaha!"

"Hmph! Well, you can't run away now." She grins, "You'll be hamburger in three no…make that two seconds!

"Ha ha, that would be pretty good."

"There will be no time limit," announces the Cervello through the speakers. "The Rain Ring Battle between Squalo Superbi and Yamamoto Takeshi will now begin."

Squalo jets through the water with great ease. The water didn't slow her down at all. Takeshi goes on the defensive and passes under her blade as it swipes over him. After he passes her, Squalo makes a back slash, though Takeshi was out of her striking distance. But force of the back swing sends some small parts flying out of her sword. Hayato growls into Tsunami's ear.

'Gundpowder.

The tiny bombs go off and water splashes up into the air. Takeshi yells out in surprise! He splashes away from the blast zone and lets out a whistle of relief. Squalo laughs.

"Hah, you dodged, eh?"

"That was close! But it looks like daily image training has paid off!"

Squalo grins, "Image training, huh? You worm…" she races towards him again. "Did you have this image…?"

Suddenly, she disappears appears before Takeshi's eyes. Takeshi blinks in disbelief.

'_She's gone No! She didn't just disappear…she just moved fast….like Tsunami-chan. She is like her. Squalo is an animal!_'

Takeshi was tense and on alert, waiting and listening. From his back, around a pillar, Squalo appear for another attack. Takeshi catches her from the corner of his eye. He turns and guards himself with his sword. Squalo arches an elegant, snowy eyebrow. The reaction time from the boy was sort of impressive. Takeshi is very grateful to his training and those nights that he and the others trained with Feral-Tsunami.

"DIE!" roars Squalo.

A slight turn of her wrist and her sword shoots her tiny projectiles again, at point blank range! The bombs go off with Squalo making a great leap away from the blast. She smirks in triumph but noticed something strange. White smoke was circling around where she left the boy to his doom. The smoke clears and Takeshi stood with bamboo sword now turned steel. He was in a defensive form.

"That is Shigure Soen Ryu's defensive form seven…Splashing Rain," Reborn informs the others.

Squalo lands in the water and turns towards Takeshi, "What?!"

Dino breathes a sigh of relief, "It's rough, but he's gotten better in such a short amount of time."

"He trained even when he wasn't attending the battles," said Reborn. "He has barely slept. Even with stamina and reflexes honed by baseball…remembering forms and using them in real battles is a different challenge. An honest person to be able to fight without fear would have to be a complete idiot…or a natural born killer."

Tsunami growls at Reborn and his words. Dino was startled by the fierce glare by Tsunami. Reborn wasn't disturbed by her at all. He learned to never show fear when Tsunami grows to be more and more feral the closer to the full moon.

"Pretty sharp of me to have found Yamamoto, don't you think?"

Tsunami groans and rolls her eyes. Reborn resists kicking her. Tsunami also becomes rather bold with him. He couldn't discipline her properly with outsiders such as the Varia around.

"I think it's time Yamamoto switch from using Shigure Soen Ryu," Dino's voice become grave.

Squalo is back on the offensive, her long blade slashing through the water as she charges.

"Don't get cocky! You're still an amateur!"

For a brief second, Takeshi wonders about her voice. From the time he had met her and after learning that Squalo was a woman, her voice was very loud and masculine. It had never cracked! That was pretty amazing to the baseball player.

His attention was pulled back into the battle when more projectiles were fired at him again. Takeshi thinks fast. Two bursts of water rose at his sides blocking him, giving Squalo a straight shot towards him. He brings the tip of his sword down to dip into the water. With the swing of his arm he brings up a great stream of water over his head in a watery arch. Twisting his wrists he performs the same technique on the opposite side of him. The arches of water cross over shielding him from Squalo. Squalo goes for a horizontal slash across the two streams. She hits nothing but water. No flesh or bone.

"Shigure Soen Ryu…Defensive form two…Raging Rain," Reborn indentifies.

Takeshi was crouched down on one knee. Hidden by the water he had dodged Squalo's attack once again, right under her blade. Basil was amazed. Tsunami was relived. So far, Takeshi was doing well and hadn't been harmed. However, she leans over to glance around Basil to Dino. Though Takeshi was surviving, Dino still seemed worried. His eyes were trained on Squalo and Tsunami takes a look on the woman herself. She frowns and her teeth clench together. Why was Squalo…smiling?

"Hey, boy! Why didn't you attack after you defended?"

Takeshi's head tilts in confusion.

"Stupid fool," she scolds. "You've could've landed a blow on me! You're first and only hit, in case you're wondering!"

Takeshi was in confusion for a moment longer, and then he grins. "Ha ha…'only hit…' That's pretty harsh!" he chuckles. "This isn't everything Shigure Soen Ryu's got."

Takeshi had only use two forms so far. Shigure Soen Ryu had eight forms, four defensive and four offensive. Takeshi brings his arm up, the tip point of the sword pointing away from him. Takeshi had used two defensive forms. He was ready to attack! Takeshi makes his way towards Squalo. Once upon her he swings. Squalo raises her sword to guard but the clanging of metal wasn't heard.

"There is no sword!" Basil yells.

Takeshi had held the sword in his left, but when it had swung he dropped it into his right! His right catches the grip of his sword and he slashes across Squalo's abdomen!

"Summer Rain," names Reborn.

Takeshi's attack was thrown across the water onto her back. However, she was back on her feet, her now wet hair whips around her back. She was grinning in triumph. As she stood, her stomach shows that it hadn't received any damage as it had appeared! Dino explains to the bewildered teens that Squalo had read Takeshi's moves and had moved with great precision with the blade. She had fallen back to avoid the being cut. This was Dino was afraid of!

"Is that all that your fancy-schmancy style can do?...And another thing? That swing, why did you use the back of the sword!?"

"Because, I'm in this to defeat you…not to kill you."

Squalo's face turns ugly with rage, "IF YOU'RE UNDERESTIMATING ME YOU'RE DEAD! You still don't get what you're dealing with, do you? I'll shut that cocky mouth of yours!"

Takeshi tries the defensive form, Raging Rain. He gets one arch over. Squalo was within a few feet of him with a mad grin. A great wall of water surrounds the two sword-users. Hidden from the view of the onlookers! Takeshi had lost sight of Squalo in the torrent. He flinches and turns his head to look over his shoulder. Squalo was behind him! Looming over him with her sword up and ready; he couldn't react fast enough. His sword was down leaving him unguarded.

A flash.

A sick wet sound.

The rising water receives its first taste of blood. Takeshi's blood. Squalo's sword had taken a bite of Takeshi, between his neck and shoulder. Takeshi's eyes were wide with surprise. He grips his sword tightly as the pain sets in. Squalo cackles. She was thrilled to see her opponent's blood. She breathes in deeply. His blood was sweet and thick.

"Does it hurt?" she mocks. "Let me bring you up to speed…I know your techniques, because Shigure Soen Ryu is a style I crushed a long time ago! After defeating the Sword Emperor…I had nothing left to do but seek stronger fighters…other swordsman. It was all I can do with myself…"

Takeshi and Tsunami could hear the hint of sadness and despair in Squalo's voice. Something more happened after she had killed Sword Emperor Tyr. She killed him to be free of him. Yet, she was still land bound. Unable to return to the sea, she devoted herself to the skill Tyr taught her…to survive in her new environment she had to continue to live in.

"I heard of a flawless sword style in the East that was passed down to very few. The Shigure Soen Ryu," she continues. "I hunted down the successor and three pupils! They used the same eight forms you did! It was a poor imitation of a style! I saw through them all and sliced them up!"

Through Squalo's gloating, Takeshi had sunk down to knees into the water. His hand clutches wound. He could feel his blood oozing out with his heartbeat. He thought to Tsunami and wonders if she was pouting over the waste of his blood. He felt bad now! His precious blood, Tsunami's nutrition was seeping out of him. He laughs.

"I never heard about that…" he swallows his pain. He shakily rises to feet, takes a deep breath and a smile blooms over his face. "The Shigure Soen Ryu that I was taught…" he pants, "is said to be flawless and invincible."

Squalo's disgust morphs into a smile. Curious. As they fought, Squalo would criticize and point out Takeshi's faults. Questioning his moves and judgments.

"You stupid or something?" she raises her sword.

Takeshi picks up his sword and drops into a fighting stance. A brief moment of silence and they rush towards each other.

"Remember, you asked for it!" snaps Squalo.

"Guess I did…" Takeshi readily agrees.

Swords cross crash and grind. The battle becomes of flurry of flashing blades, whistling and hissing angrily at each other. Between blows, the water is pushed and raised. The two opponents use the water to blind or guard against the other as they moved about the watery arena. Takeshi raises a wall of water against Squalo. Squalo uses the rushing water against him; she hacks into pillar she was passing. Bits and chips from it at high velocity towards Takeshi and one happen to lodge itself into one of Takeshi's eyes. His eye becomes bloody and Takeshi becomes half blind! Squalo tries to cut him down, but Takeshi rolls out of the way. It was a clumsy dodge however. Squalo follows bearing down on him. Takeshi manages to get to his feet. He sees Squalo's ring half dangling from her neck. He takes a swipe at her and she leans away from it. Takeshi's follows through with the attack with Shigure Soen Ryu –Summer Rain, switching hands. Squalo grins, spotting the move and parries Summer Rain. The swords ring against each other with a klang. Takeshi gasps when he feels something strange going on in the muscles of his hand and wrist. He recognized the feeling strangely. It felt like…he was going numb. Like when Tsunami numbed his wrist when she was fed as she was feral! He could barely feel Shigure Kintoki in his grasp! He quickly realizes that the feeling was quickly going throughout his body.

Takeshi couldn't move his body!

Squalo yells for his death. Takeshi uses all his strength to shake off the numbness. He punches the infected point, his wrist. That seemed to have waken it us for at the last millisecond he was able to deflect Squalo's strike that would have definitely slice him apart. But Squalo was strong and she put all her power into the strike. It sends Takeshi rolling end of end. He groans in pain. Well, at least he knew that Tsunami was only playing with him and Hayato during their training sessions. Squalo was one-hundred percent animal…trapped in human form! Animal strength was crazy tough! He struggles to his feet. His body was still trembling, still numbed up. In fact, Shigure Kintoki had reverted to its dormant bamboo sword mode.

"Squalo used his Attacco di Squalo…his 'Shark Shock'," Viper, the hooded baby, states aloud. "Hmm…his opponent relived the stiffness in his arm by hitting himself. That hand will probably be useless for a while…"

Takeshi needed more time to recover. He looks up to the ceiling, seeing one of the openings to the floor above. He hears Squalo's splashing towards him. Spotting a leaning pillar, Takeshi climbs it to the higher level. He rests for a bit. Blowing on his wrist and shaking it awake.

"Hey! You're not getting away!"

Takeshi becomes alert as the sound of what sounded like a jackhammer shattering concrete. The area in where he sat to rest shook like a small earthquake. The floor crumbles and cracks from under his feet. Squalo's sword pierces through the floor and jabs and stabs at Takeshi! The small holes become bigger holes and Squalo carves a greater, bigger hole leaping up onto the higher level floor. Takeshi was badly hurt and went down the hole and falls onto the wet rubble under him.

"Zanni di Squalo. 'Shark Fangs," Belphegor grins.

"Squalo could be quite terrifying at time," Viper admits. "He's an animal. It's to be expected of Squalo. He embodies the role of the Rain Guardian. '_He settle battles and washes away the blood that is spilled..the Requiem of the Rain_.'"

"Come on, boy!" Squalo yells down to Takeshi. ""I'm going to cut your heart open!"

Takeshi looks through his good eye and huffs out a smile, "This is so…one-sided…Pop will be pretty annoyed if I lose…Tsu-chan…Tsu-chan may hurt someone…if something happens to me…"

"Hey! You're going to continue using that Shigure Soen Ryu you're so skilled at?" she taunts. "I should warn you! The successor that I fought used all eight forms. The eighth form of course, was last. But even Autumn Rain couldn't save him!"

Takeshi frowns at that. Autumn Rain? He never heard of that form. His father didn't teach him…

"Ahhhh! So, that's it…Pop…"

Squalo finds one of the cameras in the room. She smiles cruelly, looking straight into the lens, smiling at the Vongola through it.

"Pay close attention now! I'm about to deliver the death blow to the sword boy!"

Hayato growls as his fur stood on end. Tsunami's teeth chatter. Takeshi! Takeshi! Takeshi! Her teeth cease shattering as she becomes surprised. Takeshi stands up. He was soaked to the bone with blood and water. He still had one good eye. His shoulders rise and fall as he fought to slowly catch his breath.

"You're up!" Squalo grins in malicious glee.

"That's right!...and You'll get to see Shigure Soen Ryu in all its flawlessness and invincibility."

* * *

"_Hey, Takeshi! Working hard I see!" Tsuyoshi was visiting his son in the dojo._

_Takeshi was practicing with a bamboo sword. He was getting confident in all eight forms._

"_I don't know why, but the eight form, Surging Rain…it works very well with me for some reason."_

_Takeshi was surprised to see his father blush. Tsuyoshi seemed very happy and pleased that Takeshi had liked the eighth and final form he taught his son. _

"_Surging Rain was the final form created," his father explains. "A young successor came up with it while trying to save an important and valued friend."_

"_Sound likes great movtivation!" Takeshi compliments._

"_It was," Tsuyoshi nods, "but the inspiration came from a typhoon that stamped its harrowing nature on the form."_

* * *

Takeshi runs back up onto Squalo's level, "…Okay."

He reaches down to Shigure Kintoki's hilt and grips it. With his free hand, he hovers over the hilt that he held at his hip. "…Shigure Soen Ryu.."

Squalo rolls her eyes, shaking her head. Pitying Takeshi's fruitless effort to fight with a beaten style…Takeshi runs towards her. Her eyes widen with recognize.

"I know that stance!" She moves to meet him. "Autumn Rain!" she calls it. '_It's over_!' she thought.

'Shigure Soen Ryu…Offensive Form Eight…"

Takeshi lowers himself before her, with a one-handed swing he strikes her down, with not Autumn Rain…but with Surging Rain. The form his father and he liked the most. Squalo hits the ground. The blow had been landed her. She finally felt pain and tasted her on blood on her tongue!

"Knew it!" Takeshi cheers in triumph.

"…vooooi…" Squalo growl. She spits blood into the water. "Son of a bitch…you DO have another style other than Shigure Soen Ryu! Graaaah!" she barks in pain. It hurt to shout.

"Nope! That was also Shigure Soen Ryu!" chirps Takeshi. "Form Eight, Surging Rain was the one created by my Pop."

"That explains eight forms over eight generations," Reborn now realizes. "Shigure Soen Ryu progresses by succession, and succession means change. Yamamoto's father and the successor Squalo fought were taught forms one through seven by the same master. Once schooled in those, they both went on to create the eighth form. The successors learn the original forms than create the next form of their own. Squalo had never seen Surging Rain before and was caught off guard."

"Hey, kid!" Squalo wipes her bleeding mouth, "Didn't expect you to come up with that! But again, you hit me with the back of the sword! Do you still not see how serious this battle is?"

"Haha, you've been scolding me through this battle!"

"Is there more that you want to show me!"

Takeshi shakes his head, "Naw…forms one through seven you already know already," Takeshi confirms for his enemy.

"Hah! And now that seen your form eight, Surging Rain, it's useless now!"

"Yup," Takeshi agrees. "Surging Rain is done. Buuut, that was my Pop's form…now, it's my turn…to come up with form nine…"

Takeshi raises Shigure Kintoki and held it…as if he was at bat!

Hayato growls as he recognized the not-so sword-like style. That "form" was totally and purely his!

"What's with that silly stance!? This isn't baseball!"

"Haha, again with the scolding! Unfortunately, baseball is the only thing I am good at."

He rolls his wrist; waving Shigure Kintoki in bamboo mode, as he would if standing on the home plate, anticipating for the pitcher to pitch. Squalo prepares her final move as well. She waves her sword slashing through the air and water. She waves it so fast, that the force of the swings clears a path through the water, opening a clear path to Takeshi.

"The special shark attack…" Viper murmurs. "Never thought I would see that attack that had taken down the Emperor of Swords, Tyr."

Squalo parts waves as makes it to Takeshi, she cuts her blade across him but felt her sword go through water. Blinking, she finds that Takeshi was gone from her line of sight. Takeshi dodged her charged. Squalo was discouraged, she sharply pivots and turns onto Takeshi's back. Takeshi turns and blocks.

KLANG!

Blocking against Squalo throws him back, though he remains on his feet. Squalo doesn't relent of course. She chases after Takeshi when he dodges behind another pillar. She clears the pillar to find that Takeshi was there. Sensing an attack from behind, she looks over her shoulder to catch Takeshi in a flying leap with a downward strike. She admits to herself that Takeshi was full of surprises…but it wasn't enough to defeat. She had no blind spots. With her sword-hand, her wrist detaches itself from a small mechanism that binds over her forearm backwards, pointing back! She throws back her elbow and stabs Takeshi through…

_'A prosthetic_!' Dino realizes, '_Did he…did she…_'

Takeshi's "body" bursts and becomes…water!? She attacked water? But Takeshi's image…she had attacked…

The real Takeshi was in front of her! Squalo had attacked the image of Takeshi, reflected in the water.

'_Ninth Form…Reflective Rain_!' Takeshi strikes her down from a downward strike.

'…_So this is…defeat_…' Squalo thought, blacking out before hitting the water.


	13. Chapter 13: Morgana

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Morgana

A flick of Takeshi's wrist and his sword slips the chain off Squalo's neck. Another snap and the sword sent the chain into the air and Takeshi catches the Rain half-ring into his hand. He removes his own ring-half and connects the two halves together. He holds the completed ring out for the camera.

"I won," he grins.

Tsunami purrs and hugs Hayato closer beneath her chin. Hayato flicks an ear. He tries not to be too impressed…but Takeshi's battle was incredible. Takeshi had skills. He was a natural-born killer, just as Reborn said. Though, he didn't take Squalo's life.

The Varia were quiet. Xanxus the most. He was sitting in a throne-like chair, carried to the battle by their Cloud Guardian. He sat with his arm resting on the arm of the chair, his face resting on his chin. He stares at the fallen Varia Rain. He recalls a certain memory, when they were both young. Squalo had made a promise to him. The swordsman promised that he would never cut his hair until they achieved Xanxus' goal to become the Vongola boss. True to his word…no blade has ever came near his long, silver-white tresses.

"_The day will come when you'll realize how much you need me, Mr. Heir-To-the-Vongola._"

"BWA-HA-HA-HA! HOW PERFECTLY PATHETIC! ALL THAT BIG TALK, ALL THAT POSTURING!" Xanxus roars in amusement. "….He is of no use to me now…"

Belphegor clenches his bandaged hands. His lips quiver and the prince bit down on them so hard that it began to bleed.

"Shall I do it, Boss," asks Viper.

"Wait! It's too dangerous to go in now. The water has reached the specified depth to release the deadly sea creature," warns one of the Cervello.

"Wait a sec…" Takeshi calls out. "What about Squalo? The fight's over…"

"Squalo has lost…we can't guarantee his safety."

Takeshi was silent for a moment. He looks down on Squalo's body. He scratches the back of his neck and smiles casually, "Well, in that case."

Takeshi kneels down beside her and lifts her out of the water. He supports her as he hangs her arm over his shoulder and puts an arm around her waist. Tsunami gazes after Takeshi with admiration. He was going to save Squalo! Takekshi stumbles. He was still weak and injured from Squalo's brutal attacks. His one closed eye probably did little for his balance, as well as most of his body was still quite numb. The water on the first floor was inches from the floor Takeshi and Squalo were on. The Great White's fin slips through the water's surface. Takeshi smiles nervously. It was a huge shark! Though he felt safe on the…

Underneath the surface, the shark attacks the floor above it. The already weak and crumbling floor breaks away and splashes into the water, with Takeshi and Squalo on it. They were stranded and in great danger.

"Put me down…" Squalo whispers hoarsely.

"You're awake!"

"…let me die…I have nothing now…I've failed him…"

"Hey, hey don't talk like that!" Takeshi adjusts Squalo's weight onto his back. "I can't let you die…my mom would literally haunt me for letting a lady down…"

"…!"

"Tsunami-chan told me what you're really are. I'm sorry…you must have suffered a lot."

"…If you understand then let me die!"

"I can't do that!" argues Takeshi.

"You…BRAT!"

Squalo's draws all her strength and falls away from Takeshi. She kicks him away from her, throwing him back onto another rocky platform in the water. Squalo looks out to the water. Part of her being was screaming to get away from the approaching predator. Squalo smiles madly. The Great White Shark. One of her most deadly enemies to her kind. This was fitting way to die. At least, with the shark she could still be of some use providing herself as a meal to the sea beast.

"Your swordsmanship isn't bad, kid," Squalo barks. "But you need lots of seasoning!"

The shark leaps over the surface. Rows upon rows of teeth were wide open and pointed directly at her. Squalo closes her eyes and the jaws clamp around her. Takeshi watches in horror as Squalo hung in the shark's mouth. The shark dives back into the water with a crash. Takeshi was still in disbelief as he sat alone on the rocks. Then, blood reaches the surface. Takeshi sits there and bows his head.

"Damn it…" he swore.

"Takeshi Yamamoto is the winner of the battle of the Rain Ring," announces the Cervello.

"I will now announce the match-up for the next battle. Tomorrow night's battle is between the Mist Guardians."

* * *

The Vongola group was left alone after the Cervello and Varia departed. They waited for the water to drain to collect Takeshi. Takeshi walks out of the dried out arena and approaches Tsunami. They looked at each other. Takeshi bows his head closing good eye.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't save her."

Tsunami loosens her grip on Hayato and he leaps down on the ground. She steps up to Takeshi and hugs him around his middle. Though he won, it felt like an empty win, with Squalo losing her life.

"What are you all doing here?"

Everyone turns and finds Bianchi with them. This was surprising, for Tsunami hadn't seen Bianchi's in days! Hayato groans and collapses on the ground. Tsunami panics and picks him to rock him.

"Was that the Varia I just seen leave your school!? Where's Hayato!?" Bianchi demands for answers.

"Ummmmm," Dino was stun. "That's going to be hard to explain…but, what about you? Where have you been?"

"…I was training my pet, Inky, to find rare ingredient. We've just gotten back when he picked up the scent of a rare ingredient on our way home. I was surprised to be led to the school."

"Boss!"

Romario rushes out from behind the school building.

"B-Boss…there….there…was this…th-thing!"

"'Thing?'" Dino repeats.

"It…it…it ate the shark!"

"What!? What ate the shark!? What about Squalo!?"

"What!?" Takeshi gasps.

"Squalo is my friend!" declares Dino. "As well as Takeshi, I decided to make preparations to ensure either one of them could be saved. I've hidden my man within the arena as divers to collect either of them if they fallen in!"

"Then, she's…okay?" Hope grows in Takeshi's eyes.

"Barely…the shark gnawed on her a bit…until the…thing started eating it!" Romario's voice was quivering.

"What thing!?" Dino yells.

"…Are you talking about my Inky?" asks Bianchi.

All hurry to the back of the building. There was a team of scuba divers! A few had their snorkels and masks removed, and were recognized to be Dino's men. They all looked shook up as they were staring at something in horror. Following along their line of sight, the Vongola group shares their shock. The Great White shark was almost bone with shreds of skin and flesh hanging off its body. All that was left of the shark was its fin and tail. Crunching bones came from a large dark figure hidden behind the shark's skeleton and lingering flesh. Bianchi makes a pleased sound and walks up to feeding "thing". Hayato's fur was standing on end.

"_That's…that's…that the isonade from the cruise!" _he hisses. "_No, wait…could it be that…my sister kept one of its babies and raised it!?_"

"Good Inky! You left the tail and the fin. I can make shark fin soup! That's a marvelous delicacy! Reborn, would you like shark fin soup?"

"Maybe later…" Reborn shrugs nonchalantly.

"Squalo!"

Amongst the divers was Squalo's body. Her body was bloody and battered. Her clothes were ripped and torn. Underneath the tattered clothing, Squalo wore bandages that were unraveling from her torso. Dino goes to her and he couldn't believe it. It was if her disguise had been washed away. He could clearly see now that Squalo was a woman in body and face. Her face was now soft and round. Her lips, that were no longer curled into a snarl or roaring with rage, were plump and pink. She seemed slightly smaller and her hair longer.

"Spell," Tsunami speaks.

"She was using a spell?" asks Dino.

"Spell," Tsunami repeats.

Tsunami lifts a hand and her claws extend she reaches towards Squalo's stomach and makes a motion of pulling something from her. Hayato could see her pull a string of Squalo's soul from her body. Tsunami place the silver thread of the soul in front of her face and stares at it. The body was still alive and she didn't want to risk cutting her soul away while it was in such a weakened state. So she touches the silver soul thread to her forehead. The soul reel flashes before her eyes. Hayato sits in Tsunami's lap to connect to her. Reborn grips her shoulder. Dino and Takeshi looked at other and touch Tsunami as well. Feeling left out, Ryohei and Basil touched where they could on Tsunami and together they see a glimpse of Squalo's past.

* * *

_Squalo's life began on a cool and breezy beach with seagulls crying from all around. On the beach, was a woman but not. She had long, long silver-white hair and golden eyes. The skin of her torso was pale, almost like sea foam. Her lower half was that of a large seal with gray skin and dark spots. She growls and grunts as she lies on her side. She was lying on the sands but wasn't too far from the sea. The waves crawled onto the beach and stroked her lower half as though it was comforting her as she withered in pain. She rolls over to her other side and it could be seen that she had a bit of belly. She was pregnant and was giving birth. The woman mutters under her breath in a melodic language. It didn't sound human, but it sounded like a song despite how she was hissing and breathing in pain. The song-like language is interrupted by huffing and puffing and her groans become loud cries. From the sea, a dark head poked out of the water. It was another seal and it watched as the seal-woman gave birth. Finally after what seemed to have been hours, the woman gives birth to a seal pup. The pup squeaks and whines. The seal-woman collapses onto the sand. The seal from the sea glides onto the shore. It was much bigger than the seal-woman. Its fur was slightly a darker gray with spots. The head was long but bulky. Yellow, sharp teeth peeked from under its upper jaw. The seal lifts his head up and on his chest was what looked to be a thin, vertical bald spot. The seal reaches for the bald spot with a flipper and pulls at his skin. The skin stretches and reveals more skin. The skin rolls off and the torso of a man becomes visible. The man had short, dark hair and it clung to his face. He pulls it aside as he looks upon the female and the pup, with silver-gray eyes. The seal-woman gathers the pup to her breasts and has the pup catch onto a nipple and take its first feeding. The man-seal smiles and lops closer. He rests against the seal-woman's back and speaks in the sing-song language of the female._

"_Morgana," she whispers as she strokes her pup's fur._

_The pup's eyes open, the same silver-gray as Squalo's._

_For a few months, Squalo or Morgana as her mother named her grew. From time to time, her father visited from the other side of the beach bringing her mother food. Sometimes a young male selkie followed his father to admire Morgana. The male selkie removed his skin half-way revealing to be the older male selkie's son. He had his father's dark hair and silver-gray eyes as Morgana and their father. The son was allowed to hold his sister. He purrs and coughs gently to her. _

_The months were becoming colder and Morgana's mother was ready to leave the beach. She gathers her pup up and used seaweed to make a harness to hold her daughter to her back. She pulls her skin over her head and arms like a coat and becomes a full seal. Her mother travels through the sea, staying above the surface. From time to time, her mother would dive below the surface, teaching Morgana how to hold her breath and get used to being under the water. But most of the time, she stayed on the surface. Before the audience's eyes, it seemed that Morgana's mother was traveling great distances by the hour. They feel the air go from cold to freezing and they find Morgana's mother swimming by icebergs and floating patches of ice. The mother had brought her daughter to the Arctic. She dives under the water, swimming down against an ice cliff. There was a hole and she carefully swims through it. It was a large enough hole for herself and Morgana. _

_She surfaces through a hole and inside an icy grotto. Through the grotto, there were signs that it was well lived in. There were skins of large sea creatures sprawled about the floor. The mother slides over the floor. She rolls her daughter off her back and releases her from the harness. Morgana barks with interest and hobbles and rolls about the furs. In one corner of the grotto, more skins were clumped together creating a sort of bedding. The mother uses a flipper to open the bald spot on her chest and removes her skin from the top of her head down to her torso. She goes on further, pulling long legs out of the skin completely. She stands in the nude and carefully folds her skin and sets it in an old 18__th__ century cabinet. Other objects in the area were also rustic and old. The objects had chipped paint and some water damage. Vast amounts of bottles of various sizes, colors and ages were about, filled with different liquids and powders. There were candle holders with thick candles stuck on top. The mother snaps her fingers and the candles become a lit. Her mother was a magic-user. Morgana whines as she rubs against her mother's ankles. Her mother lifts her pup and takes her to the bedding of skins. She lies amongst them and nurses the pup. _

_A literal flash forward and they find a naked young girl of nine years old crushing powder beside her mother as her mother appeared to be heating up a vial of some sort of potion with her fire magic. Her mother calls and motions for her daughter to come close. She speaks the strange, beautiful language. She wanted Morgana to heat the potion. Morgana looks at her mother with wide, unsure eyes. Young Morgana was different from Adult Squalo. She was quiet and not very active. She followed her mother's lead and instruction. Her mother encourages her daughter to try and moves aside. Morgana bites down on her lip and shakily raises her tiny hands to the vial. Her eyebrows knit together as she focuses creating heat within her hands. There was a glow forming. It wavered from time to time. Her mother puts her hands over her daughter's hands. Morgana releases the spell and she bows her head ashamed. Her mother didn't make a fuss. She takes a hand away from the vial and lifts her chin up. They nuzzle their foreheads together. Morgana does her best as the years went by to use magic. She was capable of low-level spells but couldn't handle anything complicated. Her mother didn't seem disappointed in her daughter and accepted her daughter. _

_Her mother loved to spoil her daughter. She had several large leather vintage suitcases. In them where clothes, but they were very old-fashioned and were only brought out for play. The two selkies tend to prefer to be nude, even in the freezing, Arctic atmosphere. Not only did they dress for fun, but it was for Morgana's understanding on how clothes worked for the day when she was ready to visit the beaches of the human world. That day arrived when Morgana turned thirteen. Morgana had been looking out to the sea in longing. She wanted to travel. Her mother knew this and after some words with her daughter, Morgana pounced on her mother and hugged her. Her mother held her tightly and with a nod, they release each other and Morgana dove into the sea. Morgana's mother didn't seem worried as her daughter disappeared into the waters._

_By memory and instinct, Morgana follows through the currents of the oceans back to the beach where she was born. As she was swimming, she encounters a young male Selkie. The selkie's coat was very dark. So dark, that its spots was barely visible unless the sun filtering through the water's surface hit its body just right. They growl at each other but in an instant they become friendly, swimming circles around each other. They float on the surface and nuzzled and growled in a gentle-fashion. They reached the shore together and on taking off their skins, the male was recognized as Morgana's older brother. He still had his father's dark hair that had grown down to his shoulders. Morgana called her brother Bram. _

_Most of their quality time together, was swimming down to great depths of the sea. Down below they explored sunken ships of days of old. They hunted fish and other edible sea creatures together. Competing on who can find the most or the largest meal. Finally one day, Bram leads his sister to the beach and removes his skin completely. He shows her a good hiding place for their skin in one of the collective tide pools. Hidden there were clothes kept dry in the skins of sea otters. The clothes were thankfully modern, but Morgana's training prepared her and she easily pulled on the much simpler clothes. Bram takes Morgana from the beach and onto a rocky, dirt road. Along the road, Morgana sees brand new sights. She sees a young shepherd and his dog herding sheep. She speaks pointing at the sheep, the dog and the human. Bram tells her not to speak. But he speaks in a human tongue pointing at what Morgana was viewing. The shepherd notices them, noticed Morgana and seemed dazed as he stares at her. Bram sees this and pushes his sister down the road._

_Morgana's amazement is pushed further when Bram takes her to a human village. Morgana had never seen humans until now. Her mother had told her stories about them. She warns how cruel and selfish humans were. Especially the men. Morgana heard all the stories of female selkies being captured by men, forced to wed them when their skins were taken or lost. The clothes Morgana was wearing were clothes for a boy, yet her face was very girlish and it was clear by her mid-length hair that she was girl. Boys and men's eyes were drawn to the girl. Morgana didn't notice, but Bram did and he kept his sister close. Among the male humans, one was particularly drawn to her. He stood out amongst the locals. His facial features were longer and angular, his nose more triangular but his skin had seen more sun and experienced much pleasant weather. _

_Dino gasps, "I think…that's…that's the Sword Emperor. Sword Emperor Tyr!"_

"_It's him," Reborn confirms._

_Tyr had been drinking outside of a pub when he spotted Morgana. He seemed to be the most enchanted for he left his beer and drops money on the table without counting. He follows the selkies at a stealthy distance, using the crowd as cover. Morgana and Bram enjoyed the food. Morgana enjoyed the processed products, particularly soda. At the end of the day, they return to the beach, not realizing that they were still being followed by Tyr. Tyr watches from the top of a hill overlooking the beach. He sees the siblings undress completely and hide the clothes they wore and pulled out their skins. Tyr is stunned when the girl turns into an animal after the skin was placed over her. The seals curled around each other in the tide pool and nap in the mid-afternoon sun. Tyr watches them. Stunned of what he just witnessed. Morgana was a special beauty and now, Tyr desired her more than anything._

_Morgana was eager to return to the village. She begged her brother to take her back. Bram was used to village and the lives that went on there. It wasn't that impressive to him anymore. But he promised Morgana nodding tiredly that they will go back…the next day. Morgana eagerly agrees and they went out to the sea to hunt dinner before turning in for the night. Morgana couldn't fall asleep very quickly. She was so excited to experience life on land more. _

_Morgana woke up before her brother did. She leaves his side and goes to the tide pool with the hidden clothes. She takes of her skin and sets it aside as she dresses in the clothes. When she was done, she turns to collect her skin and finds that it was gone. She was touches the spot where her skin had lied. She looks around wildly and spots a man. The man was dressed in dark clothes under a long black trench coat. Around his waist was a belt with a sword attached to it. In his hands her coat! The man fondles her coat with his bare hands as in reverence. He brings the coat to his face and breathes in. Morgana trembles in fear. The man looks up from her coat and smiles. He drapes it over his arm and with his free hand holds it out to her._

"_Come," he speaks Italian._

_Morgana flinches away. She steps into one of the tide pools and she collapses. She struggle as she scrambles out of the pool. She stares at the collected sea water and was horrified. She didn't feel welcomed in the water! The water, the sea didn't recognize her! She was rejected by the sea. Tears gather in her eyes. She had no place to go…but to the man that had her precious coat!_

"_Don't cry. Come with me!" Tyr urges._

_Morgana begins to wail and she screams for Bram. There was a roar and Bram in seal form appears. Bram was six feet long from the end of his muzzle to his flippers. Despite his form and his weight, he moved quickly and was upon Tyr. He went for Morgana's coat, held over Tyr's left arm. He clamps onto his wrist and twists and turns his head violently. Morgana did nothing but sit and watch as her brother fought the man over her coat. Tyr reaches for the sword at his hip and unsheathes it. She screams as Tyr slashes and stabs onto Bram's back. But her brother wasn't affected at all by the attacks. He was desperately trying to get his sister's coat back! His steel-like jaw clamps tighter on Tyr's left wrist and he gives a great yank! Tyr yells in pain and loses his grip on his sword. For a moment, it seemed that Bram had won…_

_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

_It was like thunder sounding from within Morgana's head. She covers ears. She hears another man yelling and cursing in the same tongue Tyr spoke. She stood frozen in panic when he came running down the beach, in his hand was some dark metal with smoke waving about it. Tyr held his left arm close to his chest, bleeding profusely. Bram was lying on his side unmoving with cuts and stab wounds. But the most damaging wounds were three holes that had ripped into him. Morgana scrambles to his side and shakes him._

"_Bram? Bram!? BRAM!"_

_She presses her head on his bloody side where his heart should be. It was beating but barely. She hears a click close to her head. She slowly lifts her head and sees a man with glasses glaring at her and her brother. The man's weapon was pointed at her brother. Morgana shakes her head she speaks to the man, pleading with him despite that he couldn't understand her. Tyr yells through the pain and the man obediently lowers his weapon. Tyr struggles to his feet and looks at Morgana. He nods his head to the beach._

"_Come," he demands._

'…_Morgana..don't go…' Bram whines._

"_I have to, Bram…the sea has turned on me…I can't go home with you ever again!"_

'_Morgana…" Bram wheezes, 'Morgana!'_

_Morgana kisses her brother over his muzzle and over his eyes. She stood on her feet shakily and goes to Tyr. Tyr had a happy smile on his face despite the loss of his left hand. He had Morgana. The most beautiful being he had ever seen. She was his now..._

"VOOOOOOOOOI! YOU NOSY PESTS! GET OUT OF MY MIND!" roars the voice of an irate woman.

Everyone was thrown onto their back by an invincible force. Tsunami and Reborn are swift to recover. She fidgets and her teeth chatter gently. Sensing how upset she was, Hayato sits on her lap and meows in comfort. Takeshi was also troubled by what they just witness. Squalo or Morgana was a sweet girl before she was taking away. But, even after she killed the man that hurt her brother and ruined her life…she still couldn't go home. Why!?

Dino stood up from the ground and looks down on Squalo or rather Morgana.

"Squalo…no, Morgana."

He kneels beside her and covers her with his jacket. Scooping her up in his arms he hugs her tightly.

"I had no idea you suffered so much! Why didn't you tell me? I had no right to have complained to you of my petty problems. No wonder you gripped at me!...Morgana! I'm taking her to the hospital! Romario!"

"Yes, Boss!" Romario hurries ahead to get the car.

Tsunami was upset along with Dino. Morgana had probably gone through many horrible things by Tyr. Much more than they wanted to imagine. Xanxus had rejected her. The sea won't take her back without her coat…

Her coat? Her coat!

Where was her coat?


	14. Chapter 14: The Return of the Mist

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its story and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Return of the Mist

In frustration, Tsunami leaves her friends behind in flight. Troubled by the night's series of misfortune, she needed to work out her anger and she didn't want to take it out on any of her friends. She would ask Hayato for his forgiveness the next day when she sees him. She shoved the poor cat into his sister's arms and spoke his name to her. Bianchi was becoming familiar with the supernatural business Tsunami was involved in and was surprised that her little brother was a cat. She became delighted and snuggled her brother-turned-kitty. Hayato couldn't escape.

Reborn chased after Tsunami. The baby couldn't leave his student alone and risk her being discovered in the city when she was teetering on the edge between human and animal. Ryohei offers to take Takeshi to the clinic, but Takeshi had a better idea.

* * *

"Ohhhh~, this is a first. You're visiting without Tsu-chan!" Kimiki greets from her usual post at her desk.

"Evening, Kimiki-san," both boys bow politely. "I'm glad you're open so late," grins Takeshi.

"Heh, a nice warm bath is good at this time of night. Especially if your mind's troubled…especially, if you need healing," she looks over Takeshi's wounds. "Didn't want to explain those at the doctor's did you?" The old fox woman winks.

Takeshi chuckles, "Yup, you're right. I'm not a good fibber. Your way is easy."

"The easy way isn't always easy. I might ask you a favor one day….but not tonight! You have much on your mind! How about an outdoor bath?"

They didn't know that Kimiki's bathhouse had an outdoor bath. Then they remembered that Kimiki was a fox. An old magical fox. Though Kimiki was kind most of the time and favored Tsunami, she hints from time to time, reminding them that she would ask something from them. She hadn't asked yet, but her sly smile that curls her mouth can make one wary.

The outdoor bath Kimiki gave to the boys was a large area just like a typical Japanese outdoor bath. The walls were made of bamboo that grew high, reaching up to the waxing moon. It was close to getting full, but not quite. Takeshi rises from the bath and shakes excess water from his hair. Kimiki suggested that he takes a few dunks under the water to have the bath water's medicinal properties get to his swollen eye and cut-up face. Takeshi sinks back into the water to his chin. He lifts his eyes up and they gaze onto the near full moon. Though an illusion, it reflected the moon in the real world. The bath eased the aches and pains of his body. But hardly eased his mind as the fox-woman advertised. Takeshi was upset about Morgana's life. It was peaceful until the Sword Emperor stole her skin and took her away from her way of life. She was forced to live as a human. Tyr forced her to learn things of his fancy. The only reprieve was her going to school to learn to speak and read human language. Dino befriended her for sometime; Takeshi hoped that Dino's friendship gave her some ease to her new life. Takeshi's squeezes his eye shut. He tries not to think of the other things Tyr forced upon Morgana…he didn't want to think of them.

"Oi! Yamamoto!"

Takeshi is shook roughly by Ryohei's strong hand. Ryohei had a hard stern look on his face. Blinking owlishly Takeshi smiles sadly.

"Sorry, sempai…I was…thinking about Squalo…um, I mean…Morgana."

Ryohei leans back against the bath and sighs deeply, "Yeah, I understand. Extremely sucky life, huh?"

Takeshi nods. Morgana did fight Tyr and defeated him to be free again. But she still remained on land. What happened? Why didn't Morgana go back to sea? In her memory, the only way for Morgana to return to the sea was if she had her coat that enabled her to turn into a seal to swim. Did Tyr hide her skin from her in a place she couldn't find? She must have asked Tyr where her skin was as he was dying.

"You're thinking extreme depressing thoughts again! That doesn't suit you all at, to the extreme!"

Ryohei roars into Takeshi's ear and the baseball player was startled out of his wits. His ears were ringing but he laughs the pain off and to put Ryohei at ease. Ryohei urges Takeshi to talk to him to get his mind off Morgana for awhile. Takeshi wasn't sure what else to think or talk about…then he remembered something.

"Hey, sempai? A few nights ago, what did you mean that you and Tsu-chan 'did it'?"

"Hah!?" Ryohei wasn't expecting that question. "You didn't know what I meant that night?!"

Takeshi shakes his head.

The boxer stares at the baseball player with a slacked jaw, before it curled up into a smirk and he laughs aloud, throwing back his head. Takeshi pouts a bit and insists that it wasn't funny and that he really had no idea! Ryohei laughs quiet down to sniggers before he calms down and grasps Takeshi's shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry! I forget that I'm older than you! But don't worry, kouhai! I'll explain it too you! Heh, heh. You really have nothing but baseball in that head, huh?" Ryohei pokes a finger at Takeshi's temple.

"What about you!?" Takeshi retorts.

"Heh, I'll admit I'm as passionate in boxing as you are in baseball…but, later on…I found that I had other physical needs and desires that were extremely therapeutic. I fooled around a bit…"

Takeshi's brows knit together. Ryohei blushes slightly while retaining his smug smirk.

"I got together with girls and we touched each other to feel extremely good. Like…masturbating together."

"M…masturbating?" Takeshi's eyes widen.

Now that word Takeshi knew. He was in a sports team and he overhears talk between them about models and porn magazines. Takeshi blocks out most of those conversations by reviewing techniques and or psyching himself up before a game or practice. There were some attempts to pull him into the conversations for his opinions but he would be dumbfounded and wouldn't understand. His team stopped asking him, since such naughty subjects went over his head. Lately, recently, Takeshi's body was acting strangely when Tsunami became involved with him.

Tsunami was very touchy feely with those she trusts and cares for. Her family likes to touch, as she had explained once or twice before. They were animals and they learn more about each other through other senses other than verbal communication like humans do. Their sense of touch, smell and even taste gave them more information about each other than just talking it out. Speaking was deceptive, people or other beings can lie in their speech. Only a few Tejinaka bats could hear a lie in one's voice. But most people can't hide their scent of fear, nervousness or even sickness. Tsunami uses her hands to touch their face, to turn their head to look at her in the eye. Tsunami was great at reading expressions. She was able to read Kyoya most times and even Reborn. She would press her nose against his neck, taking a deep breath of his skin. A comforted sigh would be released, satisfied that all was well with Takeshi or Hayato. After feedings, she would soothe his bite marks. When she first started feeding from him, they were small licks of her tongue. As they grew closer and right after Valentine's Day she started kissing the marks. During and after a feeding, Takeshi liked when she would comb her fingers through his short hair, especially the hairs on the nape of his neck. That felt so good to Takeshi. It made his mind go fuzzy like a soft, warm blanket.

Takeshi sees girls all the time. You can't avoid girls, especially when girls rush up to him between classes wanting to talk to him or be with him. Takeshi thought they were just being friendly. He had received confessions but he had politely, gently turned them down and that he wasn't interested in relationships. His heart, body and soul belong to baseball. But, Tsunami risked her life and soul to help him and that meant a lot to Takeshi. It earned her a place in his heart. Takeshi wanted to learn more about her.

Boy, did he learn a lot about her! Even about her body.

Takeshi sees girls all the time. He had seen different types of girls. Skinny girls, round girls, short, tall…ones that wore make-up, ones that wore too much make-up. He had seen all these things but it never clicked in his head or made his body react to them. Not that he didn't think a few were pretty. He had a favorite model because he thought she was really pretty.

Unlike other girls, Tsunami was always covered from head to toe to shield her skin from the sun due to her rare allergy. That day he went to her for help she loosened up her clothes to feel him through a soul-seeking session. That caught him off guard when he saw her bare skin. It was like he had peeked on something special. Very few people had seen her wear revealing clothes. It shocked the class when she arrived in class with her legs bare that very day she had "done it" with Ryohei.

Bath time with Tsunami was another deep, physical connection that was shared. Tsunami was comfortable enough with Takeshi, Hayato and others to be naked with them. It was polite to Takeshi keep his eyes above her collarbone. But Takeshi took some chances to take in features on Tsunami and had admired them secretly. Her skin was pale from lack of sunlight. Her breasts were slightly above average and she had a little "extra" around her hips and thighs. Takeshi had wondered if it was because she was partly Italian. He had touched her. Completely innocent hugs, cuddles and kisses. During baths he was allowed to wash or comb her hair or body. He had only washed her back and it made his fingers tingle when Tsunami sighed, gasped and purred when he massaged her back and shoulders. He would become flustered when she would encourage him to travel further to get a better cleaning. Bashfully, he would keep to her back and neck.

Touching reached a new level when they encountered feral-in-heat Tsunami. Feral Tsunami knew what she wanted and wasn't shy on getting whatever she wanted. She mostly rubbed and cuddled Hayato. Takeshi didn't quite understand what was going on. Being that he didn't understand, his body didn't react appropriately to Tsunami's senses giving her the message that he was interested. Hayato was an easy. His body reacted appropriately.

Takeshi felt like an idiot now. He blushed in embarrassment. It was in front of him all this time. Tsunami made no attempt to hide her bodily desires but respected the fact that Takeshi wasn't mentally ready.

Ryohei shook Takeshi's shoulder in comfort.

"It's extremely okay! You got it now!" he grins.

"So you touched other girls, sempai? Really?"

Ryohei nods. He and his female partners only touched. Ryohei didn't want to be the type of guy that actually slept around. He wanted to have sex with someone special and that special someone turned out to be Tsunami. Special in more ways than one! He loved her and felt that his feelings were strong for her. Takeshi asks what was it, what was sex like with Tsunami? Ryohei sighs deeply and his smile spreads across his face as his eyes look to the distance.

"Extremely extreme! It was so….wild… it was nothing but pure instinct and love! She didn't give in. She took control. Her eyes were red like roses and were extremely bright. She put all her passion into it. She had me on my back on the bench in the locker room…"

That's right! It happened at school! Takeshi licks his dried lips.

"She was noisy. Moaning and growling. Showing off those fangs! I wanted her to bite me so bad! I asked for her to bite me! She extremely did! Felt so extremely, extremely good…it was pain and pleasure all mixed up. Her wings turn back into hands. They were furry. Felt like velvet. I like the feel of them...on my body, marking me up…making me hers to the extreme. She kept whispering 'mine'," Ryohei's grin softens. "Then I was inside her….wow…it felt extreme…so warm, a perfect fit. Then she starts rocking…and purring like a lux-car. It started slow…than it got faster…and faster…it was too extreme….had to hold her hips real hard to get her to slow down…heh, heh…extremely useless! Tsunami-chan is extremely strong! I forgot that!"

"…she is half-human…" Takeshi swallows.

"I loved it…so extreme! It was worth saving myself! Extremely worth it!"

"E-excuse me, sempai…I…" Takeshi was flushed.

He splashes out of the bath, quickly grabbing a blue plastic washing bin and covers his lap. He quickly excuses him and leaves the bath. Ryohei chuckles and shrugs before leaning back and relaxing.

Takeshi had raced into to a bathroom stall. He sits on the toilet panting. His body was on fire. There was pressure between his loins. He was afraid to look under the wash bin over his hips. Words and scenarios made up by his teammates in their dirty talk came to him. He had thought he wasn't paying attention but they had slipped in his sub-conscious and now were sparked to life by Ryohei's reveal. Ryohei said Tsunami growled and purred when they were having sex. Clawed and bit. Takeshi shudders. He knew she bit. He knew how she clawed. He knew all her growls and purrs. He didn't have to think too hard to imagine how she sounded with Ryohei. Didn't have to think hard on how her skin felt. How she kissed…how she caressed…

"Ah~!" Takeshi gasps.

He was throbbing now! Looking down on the plastic wash bin he swallows thickly. The bin is set on the ground. There was a second barrier of the big reveal, his towel. He curses seeing the big circus tent beneath the towel. He had experienced morning wood but took care of it by taking a good cold shower…but this was something completely different. Takeshi had a feeling that no simple shower was going to get the job done. With a shaky hand, he pulls away his towel.

* * *

Reborn was close onto Tsunami's trail. He had been taking his time in locating Tsunami for an angry, semi-animal Tsunami was dangerous. Even to him. Her rational thought and instincts were conflicting when it comes to Reborn. Reborn feels that rationally Tsunami sees him as an infant; while keeping in mind that he himself was a dangerous hitman for the mafia. Her deep instincts was could sense his true threat level and being a teenaged-alpha she didn't want to completely submit to him. Reborn smirks to himself. Tsunami was the most challenging student he had ever been hired to tutor. It was a thrill to have a student that indirectly defied him!

Reborn had been tracking Tsunami but the GPS chip within her collar. Thankfully, she treasured Kyoya's gift and wore it all the time still since her 14th birthday. He is led to their training grounds in Kokuyo Land. This was perfect. Since Tsunami had so much aggression, they could continue her training. It would be good train her while she is becoming feral. Reborn believed there was a way for Tsunami's to remain calm and collected while she was feral. Hyper-will Mode was the key. If she could master that, it could give her an edge to fight at her most dangerous and strongest.

Leon changes into a gun into Reborn's hand when there was a great cry from within the park. It was like a battle cry. Following the cry there was a roar. The roar of a lion!

A lion at the amusement park?

Reborn locates the area where the shrieking and roaring echoed. Already weakened beams fall and blister apart. The symphony of destruction came from within a circle of buildings formed around a mini-zoo. Entering the zoo, Reborn catches a glimpse of Tsunami rise out of a zoo pen. She hisses and darts back down again. There was guttered roar and boy yelps.

"OW!"

There was chuckle under the rustling of leaves and Tsunami's hissing and snapping and instantly become giggles and squeals. Reborn sighs and hop onto the railing to peer into the pen. Down below was Tsunami. Her hair was littered with leaves and twigs. Her semi-unmanageable hair was in complete disarray. Somehow, she lost her shirt. Reborn notes that her shirt was always the first thing to go when she goes wild. Tsunami leans over the body of a teenage boy. His claws rub her back and comb tangles into her hair. They touch their foreheads to each other, brown hair melding with blonde hair held down by colorful barrettes.

"Joshima, Ken," Reborn recognizes.

Ken was in his lion-channel mode. He growls playfully and licks Tsunami's cheek. He rose up to a sitting position, holding Tsunami close to him, arm wrapped around his waist. Tsunami was delighted to see her wild friend. Her wings were around Ken's shoulder's tightly like a dark cape. She was rubbing her cheeks against his cheeks and neck.

"Grrrrr, I missed you too! I love your family! They're great!"

"Yes!" Tsunami giggles.

Ken didn't have any trouble in his current channel to lift Tsunami (with her wings) with leg strength and keeping a hold of her. Ken talks happily about his girlfriends. He even reveals that he was adopted by an old auntie and uncle, who also adopted Chikusa. Tsunami made sounds of surprise and happiness. Reborn follows Ken to the theatre building. Ken leads them to where Tsunami fought Mukuro. Some comfortably old furniture was brought into the room. Kakimoto, Chikusa sits quietly and when he sees Tsunami he bows his head.

"Hello, Tsunami-san."

Tsunami tilts her head at such a proper address.

"Oi, oi, oi! I didn't know that you were such a big shot amongst your family! Did you know that some of them call you Tsunami-sama or –hime!?"

Tsunami blushes.

"Heh, heh," Ken rubs his nose with hers. "Tsuna-hime! My girls were upset that I was called back to Namimori. They warn me not to get too close to you. It's bad enough that most of the boys of their clan are trying to get with ya'!"

"Don't want them!" Tsunami growls.

Reborn was looking towards the back of the theater room, "Who is that?"

Ken sets Tsunami down on her feet. Gently, he pushes Tsunami towards the figure, sitting in a chair in the darkest part of the room. Tsunami peers into the darkness and could see a girl. The girl was wearing an altered Kokuyo girl's uniform. The jacket was long sleeved and cropped short, showing off her midriff. Her green skirt was very short and she wore black boots. Her violet hair was cut short and was shaped to a familiar pineapple-hairstyle. She had a huge round eye. Tsunami thought it was beautiful. It matched her hair perfectly. Her right eye however, was covered by an eye patch with a skull. In her arms was a three-pronged blade.

"Could it be?" whispered Reborn.

Tsunami walks up to the girl alone. When she was in front of her they stare at each other. The girl's one eye rolls over her from head to toe. A tiny blush blooms. Moving closer, Tsunami hovers over the girl. Bracing herself with her folded wings on the arms of the chair she brings her nose to the girl's neck and sniffs softly. She didn't smell familiar. The girl _felt_ familiar for some reason! She wanted to figure this out and seeks out the girl's soul. Tsunami became alert seeing a very large soul within the girl. It was like Hayato and Nekomasa's souls. The souls were of the same color, on closer inspection, the other half of the soul was slightly darker. It was a dark soul that was still healing! Tsunami pulls the girl into her wings and kisses her cheek. The girl gasps in surprise and her dust rose pink blush reddens to a full rosy red!

"Mukuro!"

"Kufufufu," the one-eyed girl giggles.

The girl returns her hug and hums, very pleased.

"Hello, Sawada, Tsunami~"

"Rokudo, Mukuro. How did you escape Tsunami?"

"Kufufufu, escaped? I did no such thing. It was impossible for me to escape that prison. Sawada, Tsunami sent me to this poor girl."

The girl, possessed by Mukuro, pulls away slightly. She reaches down her shirt and pulled out the bell that kept Mukuro's soul. Reborn stares at Tsunami's back. Tsunami pulls away and looks over the girl again. It took some time to rifle through her memories but then she recalls the mother cat that had asked for Nekomasa's help. To help save a girl that had save the mother cat's kitten and ended up in the hospital. This was that girl.

"Okay? Is she okay?"

"Barely. Without me…she wouldn't be able to survive for very long. She was hit by car. The car struck her so that her organs were severely damaged and she lost her right eye. Her parents, her mother and her step-father had no concern for her. The cat whose kitten this girl saved, felt that she needed to do something for this poor, dear girl."

Tsunami moans sadly. She gathers the girl deeper into her wings and rests her chin on her shoulders.

"Doesn't matter. We're taking care of her…what's her name?"

"I should let her introduce herself. I must save my energy for tomorrow night's battle. I will see you then, dear Tsunami."

Mukuro smiles slyly and kisses the corner of Tsunami's lip. Tsunami feels him draw himself deep within the girl. The girl comes to and she gasps when she is face to face with Tsunami. Tsunami smiles and twitches her large ears on top of her head.

"Hello!" she chirps.

The girl blushes and nods in return.

"Tsunami."

"Dokuro, Chrome."

Chrome looks Tsunami over.

"You're fuzzy." She looks at the top of Tsunami's head.

Chrome slowly reaches up and outlines one of Tsunami's ears from one side of the base up the edge, over the tip and down again to the base again. Tsunami fidgets and smiles with Chrome curious caress. She was curious about Chrome too, and she reaches with a thumb claw and traces over the edge of her eye patch. Reborn, Ken and Chikusa watch as the girls hold and touch one another.

"…cute," Ken blushes.


	15. Chapter 15: Illusions of One's Self

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 15: Illusion of One's Self

Chikusa and Ken didn't come back to Namimori alone. They were under the responsibility of the Tejinaka clan. Knowing that the two members of the Kokuyo gang were going back to the city because of the Mafia, Shini was the one who volunteered to escort the two. The niece and aunt reunited the night before and even snuggled up in bed together. Shini discovered by Tsunami's scent that her niece was no longer a virgin! Shini tortured Tsunami with a barrage of tickles until she got her niece to give up all the details of her how, when, who and where she had lost her virginity. Shini learned about the new boy in Tsunami's life, Ryohei, a slightly older boy, same age as Kyoya and he was a boxer! Shini congratulated Tsunami happily. Shini had always suspected that Tsunami wasn't attracted to male Tejinaka but to male humans. Tsunami was more open to sexual intimacy with her human friends. Tsunami had always fled from a male Tejinaka bat when he tried to pull her into engage in sexual activities. Shini thought Tsunami was really sly, though her niece probably didn't realize it. It was clear that Tsunami called the shots from amongst her group of males. She was an alpha bat and was stronger than them and they were aware of this and treated her with loving care and respectful fascination. Their relationship was growing and Shini was looking forward to the drama that will eventually (possibly soon) drop.

Nana was serving pancakes for breakfast. Everyone in the household was at the table, including Chikusa and Ken. She was happy this morning to learn that her family had grown a little with accepting outsiders into the family! She learns that it was Tsunami who discovered the teen orphans and convinced her father, Buiiro, to take them into the clan. Ken wolfs down his pancakes and demands for more. Nana giggles and was happy to oblige. The doting mother quickly realizes that the quiet one in the glasses, Chikusa, had a great sweet tooth. She brought out sweet condiments of canned whip cream, chocolate sprinkles and sweetened strawberries and blueberries. Chikusa quietly thanks her for the super-sweet options.

Nana notices how social Tsunami was being. She even spoke a few words to those around her. She had Reborn in her lap…much to Bianchi's envy but she behaves herself. For now. Nana knows the moon would be completely full very soon and her daughter will become feral. However, Tsunami was different now. Tsunami use to hide in her bedroom as she begins to become an animal in mind and body. She even avoided her own mother. Growing up feral, Tsunami used to be social amongst her clan but there were a few incidents when she had hurt others. When Tsunami came back to rational thought she was very alarmed! They wounds she gave weren't too bad! Nonetheless, Tsunami felt responsible for hurting her own family.

Reborn finishes off Tsuanmi's breakfast for her and tells her that it was time to go. Tsunami waits for Reborn to get off her lap before she leaned close to Shini and nuzzles her under chin. Rising to her feet she does the same to Ken, Chikusa and the children. She asks I-pin and Fuuta to say hello to Lambo if they go see him with Nana. Upstairs Tsunami gathers her things and returns downstairs to the front door. After slipping on his her shoes, Nana appears behind her and hugs her tightly.

"Mama?"

"Mmmm, I'm so proud of you, Tsunami."

"Eh? Why?"

Nana pulls away turning Tsunami towards her.

"You've grown so much ever since Reborn-chan started tutoring you! Don't think I haven't noticed! Your grades have improved…slightly. But most of all," Nana lowers her voice to an airy whisper for only their ears to hear, "I'm so glad that you're accepting who you are."

"…What?"

"Tsunami, I know you love your family. I know that you are proud of being a Tejinaka and how we help the dead and living when it comes to the spirit. Deep down…you were afraid of yourself. You didn't trust yourself and your power as a bat. But not to worry!" Nana beams. "You're getting over it and I'm glad! Sometimes, it made me sad that I have given you such complications in your life. You have managed to survive and to grow. I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of that!"

After a hug and kiss from Nana, Tsunami leaves home with a cloud over her head. Reborn sits on her head and could feel the cloud hanging above them.

"Why are you so gloomy? Your mama was happy with your growth, thanks to me."

"…I thought…that I had already accepted myself long time ago…a long, long time ago. Mama said that I haven't and just recently it looks like I was comfortable with myself? Am I still not comfortable with myself?"

"You are still apprehensive. It does seem at times that you are holding back. It has been getting better since your guardians are very accepting of what you are."

Tsunami sighs and tightens her hand on the strap of her shoulder bag. Her mind dwells on Nana and Reborn's words. She had accepted her bat-self, Kou-nami. Didn't she? She named her other self along with her Hyper-self, Hinoh-nami. They liked their names and were happy. Weren't they?

Getting to the training grounds, Tsunami asks Reborn if she could meditate before they start. She needed at least an hour. Sensing the turmoil in her mind, Reborn allows her to do so for the sake of training. Tsunami sits cross-legged on the ground and goes into the process of deep-meditation. She takes deep-breathes and focuses on the expanding of her soul.

She arrives in her mindscape of the three upside temples. Kou-nami sits on her left and Hinoh-nami on the right. They both turn to her not saying anything or doing anything. Tsunami looks to Kou-nami and Kou-nami approaches her. When the bat version of her was close, she reaches up and puts her hand on the top of the bat's head. The bat closes her eyes.

"I…" Tsunami begins. "Don't hate you!"

The bat stays still. Tsunami bit her lip. "I can't be afraid of something that I don't hate!"

"You can be afraid of something or someone you love," speaks Hinoh-nami.

"What about you?" Tsunami whispers harshly.

"….This form of me is new…but there is something that is…preventing us from being truly one. There is a block between us…"

Tsunami whips her head towards her flame-self, "But….!"

"….I don't know the answer…just like you," Hinoh-nami shakes her head.

Tsunami returns to outside world. Her emotions were darker than before. Reborn was concerned that her worries may prevent herself from focusing on training. Basil shows up, apologizing for being late then noticed that Tsunami was upset. He looks to Reborn for an explanation but Reborn merely claims that Tsunami was having issues non-related to the Mafia. Still concerned, Basil approaches Tsunami and pulls her into a warm, gentle hug. Basil was quick to pick up on Tsunami's needs to be comforted through touch. Tsunami takes the hug gratefully. Her hands climb up his back and grip his jacket. Basil pets her head and provides words of warm assurance. He tells her to be brave. Tsunami kisses his chin in thanks.

* * *

A few hours later, they are joined by Colonello. Colonello dropped in by eagle landing beside Reborn. Reborn and Basil were watching Tsunami. Tsunami was in feral-mode brought on by the Hyper-bullet. Colonello was told ahead of time about her mother's family. This was the first time seeing her as a bat. She appeared different from the stories Reborn had told him. He had expected some wild animal-girl. Sniffing, rolling on the ground and flying with her bat wings. The Tsunami he was seeing was standing with her hands in the air. She was concentrating her flames in her hands while her leg-gauntlets were also aglow with flames glowing over her feet. Her hands and arms out of her shirt were dark. Peering closer, Colonello recognizes that it was dark-brown fur. Her nails were dark claws. Her eyes, the iris, reflected the color of her flames. The outer parts of her eye were bloody red. Her ears were small and on the side of her head slightly pointed, peeking out of her long hair.

"Hmph, she doesn't seem as wild as you had told me, kora!"

"Tsunami has been improving greatly. Good thing too…it is getting close to a full moon. That's when she becomes a full animal."

"Oh, so she isn't fully animal…yet. For a moment, I thought you tamed her."

Reborn grins, "I will never tame, Tsunami."

Basil and Colonello were surprised.

"We humans have tried to tame several of wild animals. Animals can be trained to act civil, but can quickly become dangerous if you let your guard down. No, I don't ever want Tsunami to be tamed completely. I like her wild and dangerous."

Tsunami's eyes widen slightly at Reborn's words and continue to concentrate. Colonello looks to Tsunami, sighs shaking his head. He resigns himself that Reborn was a strange character.

"What is she doing anyway?"

"She's timing her Death-paration Point Zero Break."

Tsunami breathes in an out. Focusing on Zero Break was like her soul strengthening mediation. Instead of concentrating on her soul, she was concentrating on flames. She felt that she could obtain it…but, just as Hinoh-nami had said, there was this barrier that she couldn't get through!

"…how much longer?" Colonello asks.

"It won't happen today," replies Reborn.

"….Then what the heck am I doing here, kora!?" Colonello head butts Reborn.

Reborn knocks his forehead back against Colonello's, "I wanted to ask you…what did you thought of Mammon of the Varia?"

"The runt with the frog?"

"How did he strike you?"

"Do you mean that he might be another Arcobaleno?...My pacifier didn't shine. Besides, we know where all seven of the Arcobaleno are, even the missing one…you saying that it's him?"

"I'm not sure, but possibly."

"If he is, your guy has no chance."

"Hmph," Reborn smiles, "you don't even know who our guy is."

* * *

Night falls once again over Namimori Middle. Another battle was to begin. Everyone was there both the Vongola and the Varia. Tsunami looks upon her boys who were waiting on her. Ryohei and Takeshi were starting to look better, thanks to Kimiki's baths. The cuts and bruises were gone, but the larger injuries were still healing. Ryohei's arm was still in a sling, though he was moving around more. Takeshi's greatest injury was to his eye. His right eye was covered by bandages around his head. Lying across Takeshi's broad shoulders was Hayato, lying there like a gray and furry boa. All his wounds were gone, yet he was still a cat. Tsunami goes to Takeshi and reaches out to pet Hayato. To her surprise, Hayato ducked away from her hand and spats at her. His eyes glows that eerie light-colored green for a second…before becoming sorrowful forest green and turns his face away from her.

"Haha, awwww, don't be mad or sad...Gokudera…Nekomasa!" Takeshi chides playfully.

"Hayato…Nekomasa…mad." Tsunami bows clutches her hands behind her back guiltily. "Because of…last night…Bianchi…"

Hearing the guilt in Tsunami's voice, Hayato-Nekomasa's ear twitches, but continues to ignore her. Tsunami becomes depressed, being ignored by her most devoted friends in one body. Takeshi leans over her and lifts her chin up with a cupped hand. Tsunami is looking into Takeshi's face and senses something unusual from Takeshi. There was a glimmer in his eye that she had never seen before. He was smiling, but that smile was something new. What did it mean? Tsunami was greatly curious!

"Takeshi…?"

Takeshi chuckles. A low, soft release of breath with a certain undertone. He lifts her chin higher and presses his lips against her. A tingling sensation prickled at the skin of her lips and spreads through her. It felt like the sparkling, clean minty feeling along with a splash of gentle rain shower. Her mind has gone blank and she does nothing but feel him. She purrs and softly nips at Takeshi's lips in return. Takeshi sighs. Tsunami sniffs noisily and an unfamiliar scent wafts through her into her nose. Pupils thin and eyes tint over.

"Takeshi…" she purrs.

"MAOWRR!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Takeshi cries.

Hayato was batting at Takeshi's head and ears with claws half-sheathed. Breaking the two up, Hayato leaps into Tsunami's arms and meows piteously, rubbing his face against her face and neck. Takeshi rubs his head while continuing to smile. Ryohei laughs aloud pointing at Hayato.

"What's the matter…Octo-pussy!?"

Hayato hisses and snarls at Ryohei. Tsunami was happy to have Hayato back in her arms and purrs into his fur and reaches under his belly and tickles his tummy. Now, most cats don't particularly care to have their bellies fondled. That is a very vulnerable area to them! A cat must have absolute trust in another being to allow them near such a precious area. When Tsunami reached for that area, Hayato-Nekomasa relaxed immensely and became limp.

The few Varia watched this with mixed expressions. Belphegor hated the Vongola for embarrassing him in his battle. But the strange relationship that they had been witnessing overtime was to his annoyance…fascinating. It was weird and the Prince was curious about the weird. Even if the weirdness came from his enemies. Mosca didn't have a reaction…if he did, it was unseen.

Mammon was usually a stoic person. But his tiny mouth was gapped open. Mammon couldn't understand this second candidate. Not only did this tiny girl have the gall to stand up to Xanxus, she had a strange power, the ability to summon spirit beasts and was able to take down Levi. But most shocking was her romantic relationship with so far not one, not just two but three boys and all three didn't seem to have any problem with such public display of affections between them and the one they desired. The Vongola candidate made her claim on the Vongola Sun Guardian, fiercely threatening Lussuria. The Storm Guardian, who was a boy before, kissed her passionately on his arrival to his match. Now it was her Rain Guardian that was lip-locking with her tonight!

Xanxus narrows his eyes at the affection his rival was receiving. He hated it. He hated the attention and love she was getting. He hated seeing her smile and being so carefree! He clenches the arm of his chair and his scars stretch. Much to his satisfaction, the girl senses his rage and losses her good mood. She narrows her eyes at him and she clutches her cat tightly. There was no fear in her eyes, but he preferred ruining her mood and seeing defiance than happiness and love. Xanxus smirks and relaxes.

"PYON! Tsunami-chan~! We're here!"

The boys were caught by surprise when the Kokuyo Gang arrived!

"Howdy, Tsunami!" Along with Tsunami's aunt, Shini. "Hey, ya'll…how have you been? It's been awhile! Gosh, you're all just as cute as I last seen ya…some of ya' cuter and fuzzier!"

Shini strides up to Tsunami and pets Hayato, "How's it feel to be a cat, Gokudera-kun?"

"PYON!" Ken screams and points at the cat.

"That's that smoking brat!?"

Hayato growls. Ken comes over his shock and grins wickedly. He pulls out a set of teeth and goes into his wolf channel. The closest animal to a dog that he had in his collection.

"Heh, heh…Kitty want to play?!"

Hayato puffs up and yowls. Tsunami clutches Hayato and gives Ken a disapproving look. Ken snickers and returns to normal. Claiming that he was only teasing. Hayato was doubtful! Tsunami sees another body behind them and smiles brightly.

"Chrome!"

The boys weren't familiar with that name. They observe the person who Tsunami approached. The girl was quite pretty. She had pale skin…paler in contrast to Tsunami's skin. She had one wide violet eye and skull eye patch. She wore an altered version of the girls' Kokuyo school uniform with her midriff showing. But what had them most alert was her hair. Her hair was stylized similarly to…Mukuro Rokudo's hair! Then Takeshi noticed that the girl was wearing the bell he had gifted to Tsunami, which also served as a prison for Mukuro. Tsunami wraps an arm around Chrome in a hug. Chrome flushes happily and hugs her in return. When they pull away, Chrome is staring at Tsunami.

"Tsunami-sama…" Chrome whispers.

Hayato bristles in Tsunami's arms and meows. He is ignored by both girls when Chrome catches Tsunami's lips with hers.

"…..EHHHHHHH!?" yells Ryohei, Takeshi and even Basil!

'WHAT THE HELL!?' Hayato yells internally.

'…_Uh…..wasn't expecting that_…' Nekomasa was unsure how to feel.

Ken was shocked into silence with his mouth hanging open to his chest. Chikusa adjusts his glasses. A little unsure of what he was seeing. It took everything in Shini to keep from squealing aloud. Instead, she quickly pulls out her phone and snaps a picture.

Tsunami was wide-eyed.

Chrome was kissing her.

Chrome, a girl, was kissing her.

She was getting kissed by a girl.

Tsunami releases Hayato and he falls from her arms. Hayato was shocked, but fortunately instincts and Nekomasa has him land on his feet, while staring up at the girl kissing his boss! Chrome pulls away with a soft pleasant sigh.

"Boss~"

Chrome's voice snaps Tsunami back to reality.

"…KWEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIE~!" she squeals.

Reborn had never heard such a strange sound.

Tsunami's face was on fire. She could feel her burning cheeks between her hands. She had never, ever, ever been kissed by a girl! This was a totally new experience! No girl has ever expressed such affection to her before! Ryohei and Takeshi were the first to recover. With a blush, Ryohei swallows.

"…It was…extremely cute actually."

"Haha, you think so too?" Takeshi grins.

Basil whips his head towards the two other boys and stares at them.

Mammon truly didn't understand this family. Mammon feels his pet frog moving about on top of his hooded head. The frog was even making hissing sounds.

'Phantasma is getting excited. Seems that Guardian is rather special…if we sold her to a circus we'll make a fortune…'

One of the windows of the gym swings open and in flies Falco carrying his master in. Ryohei greets his teacher and asked why he was there tonight. Colonello looks to the tiny Varia. He was curious if the baby was like himself and Reborn; an Arcobaleno.

The Cervello announce that it was time for the battle to start. Ryohei eagerly wants to form a huddle for Chrome. Chrome turns it down but Tsunami chirps and pulls her in. Chrome is surprised. Just a minute ago she had been stunned but now, Tsunami seemed giddy by her first kiss from a pretty girl! Tsunami puts an arm around her, while Takeshi puts an arm around Chrome's shoulder on the other side of her. Hayato sat on the floor in the middle of the huddle. His tail wags as he glares up at Chrome. Chrome finally notices Hayato and smiles sweetly at him. Nekomasa was getting to like the girl. Hayato was still mad at her…but, recognized that Chrome was pretty.

"Chrome…FIGHT!" yells Ryohei.

"FIGHT!"

Each boy wishes her luck. Chrome flushes by their care and concern though it was only their first time meeting her. She was meeting such nice people, because of her, because of Tsunami. Tsunami was smiling at her.

"Good…luck…Chrome."

Chrome nods and steps into the center of the gym. The Cervello pair stood between her and the baby Varia.

"The arena of this match is in this gym, and you may utilize it and anything in it anyway you like. No strange arrangements were required. The gym is as is, and the only stricture is that you don't leave it."

That was different. It made Tsunami nervous. Reborn assures it that this usually is the case for mist battles, "They fog the perceptions of their enemies by bringing things that don't exist into existence and removing things that do exist from existence. Illusion is the key to discharging their duties."

The spectators were designated to stand on the sidelines of the gym, Varia on one side and the Vongola on the other. Infrared sensors caged them in the area to prevent them from interfering with the battle. Neither Shini or Ken liked to be caged.

"The Mist Battle between Mammon and Chrome Dukuro will now begin!"


	16. Chapter 16: Chrome vs Mammon vs Mukuro

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 16: Chrome vs Mammon vs Mukuro

Chrome's mentality shifts when the battle officially starts. The three-pronged blade she clutched to her chest becomes a trident she twirls above her head. The butt of the trident is slammed onto the waxed gym floor. The floor splinters and bursts and it spreads through the gym. The paneled wood splinters under the Varia Mist's feet. It also buckles beneath the feet of the spectators. The Vongola panic as they begin to fall through the floor.

Tsunami sweeps Hayato off the floor. She closes her eyes and her soul spreads. A soul barrier surrounds her and her friends. Her soul covers them and it calms them. Reborn reminds them that this was a battle of illusions. The area that looked to have crumbled was normal within Tsunami's Soul Barrier.

"Tsunami, what did you do?" asks Reborn.

"I think I know," Shini speaks up. "You said that what we just experienced was an illusion. It caught me by surprise too! I thought it was totally real! Tsunami created a barrier around us with her soul to keep our minds calm. One's ability comes from their soul and being. Tsunami is pressing her soul against Chrome's aura, her own soul, to shelter us. Wow…she's growing so much!" Shini was in awe.

Hayato's eyes sparkle with admiration as well. Tsunami watches Chrome's battle without being distracted. Chrome was a strong girl. She didn't expect that, Chrome entered the battle without hesitation! It pleased Tsunami and half of her worries was cut…but, the mysterious mafia baby…his abilities was unknown…

Mammon hops from the wooden debris, moving towards Chrome. He seemed unaffected by the illusion or at least was able to overcome the illusion's disorienting effects. Once within her range, Mammon looks up at her and dark, whip-like vines came out of his face and wrap itself around Chrome. It wraps around her throat, head and torso and tightens. The illusion Chrome started fades away, returning the gym to normal completely. Chrome is lifted off the ground as she is strangled.

"You're a spell caster like me? You're weak," claims Mammon.

Tsunami clenches her arms around Hayato. Hayato feels her tense then relax within seconds. Hayato peers through the barrier and it adjusts his vision and the others.

"Who is weak?"

Chrome is behind is Mammon! Mammon no longer had Chrome in his grip. Instead it was wrapped around a basket crate of basketballs!

"Wow! How did she do that!?" Takeshi was like a delighted little boy watching a magic card trick.

Ken and Chikusa seemed impressed of Chrome's ability similar to their master's.

"They're in a battle of wits, creating illusions to out trick one another," explains Reborn. "It's a rare and fascinating spectacle."

The basketball crate is thrown aside. The vines retract back within Mammon's hood and what part of his face that could be seen returns to normal. From underneath his cape a sliver of cloth unfurls at his tiny feet. After the cloth unravels, chains clink unto the ground. The frog on top of his head, its skin begins to fall apart like scaly flakes. It turns into a light-skinned lizard with red eyes as it clamps onto its brand new tail. It rises and hovers above Mammon's head forming a creepy, living halo as it spins. Not only did the lizard start floating, the baby rises off the ground as well! There was a glow from Mammon, a violet color of a pacifier! Reborn's and Colonello's pacifiers glow too!

"The Ring Frog and that pacifier with the glow…it's him! He's alive!" Colonello points out.

"I thought so," nodded Reborn. "He is, in fact the Arcobaleno called Viper."

"Ya know…I just noticed that there are more than you little guys! All your souls are older than your bodies…kinda' weird…" Shini mumbles that last part. '_No wonder Yoyori-ji is so interested in Reborn_…'

"This is bad for that girl," Colonello narrows his eyes, "Viper is one of the stronger Arcobaleno."

"Viper is a spell caster with the most powerful psychic abilities of any Arcobaleno…" mentions Reborn.

'Psychic!' Hayato meows at Reborn, 'Like ESP!? So occult!' he meows in excitement.

"Why didn't his pacifier glow until now?" Colonello looks down on his blue pacifier.

"I'd say it was those chains just dropped were suppressing its reaction to our proximity."

"Listen, runts." Mammon addresses his fellow Arcobaleno. "The chains are a by-product of my research. Unlike you two, I haven't been idle. I applied myself to dispelling my curse!"

Tsunami and Shini frown at that. Curse?

"Enough posturing. Do we fight or don't we?"

Tsunami and the other teens were surprised once again by Chrome's drive to fight. Chrome is again on the attack, running at Mammon. She goes into physical combat, swinging and thrusting the trident at Mammon…or rather, Viper. Her reaction and speed was impressive to Viper. From the ceiling, snakes drop and wrap around him! It was a rainfall of snakes and they weigh Viper down to the floor.

The snakes are blown away off Viper from the power of his pacifier! Chrome follows up his counter striking the ground again making pillars of fire roar through the floorboards. Though the boys were within the safety of Tsunami's Soul Barrier, they couldn't help but flinch away by the fiery pillars that came close. A flash from Viper and the pillars turn from fire to ice. Tsunami shivers. Shini senses the barrier weaken slightly. She quickly adds her soul energy to the barrier. The illusions were getting stronger as the battle progressed. For a second they had felt the chill of the ice cooling the room. Reborn compliments Viper's ability. The Mists' illusions take hold of the five senses which gives them the ability to control the brain of their opponents and victims. The stronger the illusionist, the more powerful the control and hold over one's perception of what is real.

"For a spell caster to have his illusions countered by another's illusions means he's lost control of his senses…"

Chrome gasps and looks down on her feet. The ice was climbing rapidly up. It had already reached her hips by the time she had looked down.

"What do you think, Sawada's Mist Guardian? Will you now be good and tell me who you are?

Chrome glares at Viper. Her lips pressed tightly together.

"You're defiance is useless. You're already a resident of my illusionary world."

Viper raises his hand and flicks his finger up. Chrome is thrown up in the air, along with her half-grown ice prison. She hits the ground so hard the ice around her shatters. Chrome struggles to it up. She clings to the trident like a lifeline. Viper notices this. His pacifier flashes. Chrome's eye widen in horror as she grips her trident.

"NOOOOO!" Chrome screams.

The trident explodes into a million pieces. The prongs and the staff both were destroyed. Chrome was shocked. Tsunami sees the bell glow and she feels dark anger.

"Mu…"

Reborn, Hayato and Shini hear Tsunami.

"Mu…kuro…"

Chrome shudders as she slaps her hand over her mouth to catch a projectile of blood. She coughs and gurgles out the continuous flow of blood. Continuing to struggle breathing, she falls onto her back and is unable to move. Her skin becomes sickly pale all over too quickly.

"Chrome!" Tsunami calls.

"What hast happen to her?!" shouts Basil.

Chrome's stomach deflates! It caved in on itself! Tsunami covers her mouth with a hand. Her teeth chatter in panic. Mukuro had told her of Chrome's situation. Chrome lost most of her organs in her lower body due to the car accident! She realizes Chrome's true dependency on Mukuro's power! Mukuro was using his illusions to create organs for Chrome. Also, there was another horrible revelation.

"She…she's dyin'!" yells Shini. "Holy shit…she's dyin' right now!"

Scenes flash in front of Tsunami's eyes. Chrome wasn't dead completely so Chrome's flash life didn't go all the way back to her birth…but to her recent memories. Tsunami sees Chrome when she was only known as Nagi. She had lovely shoulder-length hair and she had both of her lovely, round violet eyes. She was walking along the sidewalk when she spots a kitten nervously cross the street to join its family on the other side. Then there was an oncoming car! Chrome, Nagi didn't hesitate. She dropped her school bag and runs into the street. She scoops up the kitten and tosses it to the other side…

There was horrible, gut-grinding screech and someone screams. Tsunami couldn't look away. It was a horrible, awful sight; seeing Nagi's tiny body thrown over the car's hood and top, twisting in the air and hitting the ground with a crunch.

The next scene is of Nagi in the hospital on a breathing apparatus. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Outside, a man in a crisp suit walks up to a very pretty woman in expensive clothes. He had just spoken to the doctor. The doctor had asked if he was the father, the father quickly corrected the doctor that he was only the step-father. He and Nagi weren't blood related.

"_Dear!" she calls. "Nagi was hit by a car!"_

"_Yes…what a nuisance."_

"_She tried to save a cat!" The woman, Nagi's mother, was in disgusted disbelief. "Her right eye and several internal organs were severely damaged. She can't be saved."_

"_Hey…the doctor said that he might be able to save her with transplants…"_

"…_.She has no friends. I hardly understand her and she never got attached to you. The truth is, saving her just doesn't seem…worth it."_

Tsunami grinds her teeth in anger. What is with these two parents!?

Sadly, as the unworthy parents converse, Nagi had been awake and was hearing their discussion. Nagi was on the brink of death, though the machine was keeping her body alive. Her soul's attachment to her body was weakening. It was that feeling some patients report of floating in the air over their bodies. They could see and hear everything going on around them. Despite her condition, Nagi was relieved. She was relieved that everything was going to end.

"_It's not going to end," it was Mukuro's voice. "From what I've seen…life after death is just as hard, my dear."_

_Nagi's tilts her head to the side. At the window was a cat with a crystal bell in her mouth. The bell glows violet and Mukuro's soul is seen by her. Mukuro chuckles softly and the hospital room changes to a beautiful, grassy field. _

"_Who are you?" Nagi's spirit stood before Mukuro._

"_You and I are very much alike. Nagi, I want to help you. Together, we can actually help each other."_

The Chrome in the living word coughs, "Mukuro…sama… I wanted to help you..."

"Mu…MU…MUKURO!" Tsunami screams.

"You did well, my precious Chrome. Now rest for a bit."

Mist surrounds Chrome. It becomes heavy and thick until Chrome is no longer seen. Chrome's soul is overwhelmed and consumed, by Mukuro's soul. Shini becomes nervous. Though she was able to handle Ken and Chikusa, their boss was another story. She hadn't forgotten what Mukuro did to her!

"Kufufufu, I apologize my dear, Tsunami. I didn't mean for us to scare you."

"That voice…where's it coming from?" Viper demands.

Tsunami is able to peer through the mist. She sees a dark-gloved hand reach out and reforms the trident before grabbing it. The mist thickens and curls around itself creating a whirling ball of mist. A chuckle comes from within and it makes the Vongola's skins crawl!

"Oh man," Takeshi mumbles.

Hayato's fur was all over the place. His claws were out and his ears were so flat against his head they seem to disappear into not existence.

The floor is once again disrupted when a trail is sent towards Viper. Viper is thrown off his feet by the force of the attack. The chuckle erupts once again and the ball of mist dissipates. Chrome no longer was lying on the ground, but instead, in her place stood Mukuro!

"Mukuro! Mukuro!"

Mukuro smiles at Tsunami, "Ah, Tsunami. Don't worry. Our little Chrome is fine."

"So, that's the real Mist Guardian," Colonello was dazed. "As usual, you live dangerously," he huffs at Reborn.

"…I've heard that name before…Mukuro…Rukudo, Mukuro…" viper stands to his feet. "You and several other prisoners escaped Vindicare to go after Sawada. You were defeated by her…and it ends right there. It was strange. The Vindice was close on your heels…there was no more news after your defeat. There were no arrests."

"….Kufufufu, Tsunami's family made a deal with the Vindice. A deal that was in their favor, not the Vindice."

Xanxus narrows his eyes.

"What?" Viper gasps and looks at Tsunami. "Impossible! No one makes deals with the Vindice!"

"Believe it! Ya' nasty little wizard!" yells Shini.

"Hmph! I will find out your secrets later! You!" Viper glowers at Mukuro. "You're a bother! You're not really Mukuro! It's impossible! You're only an illusion that girl took into herself! I'll find out the truth!"

A whirlwind of ice and snow blows out of Viper's face. The gym becomes freezing again. Shini and Tsunami feel it. Viper's illusion was even more powerful than before. Both bat girls struggle to keep the barrier but the illusion was seeping through. The ice and snow blows freezing cold air. Large ice grows and clumps around Mukuro's body until his body was completely enclosed within ice. Viper's face forms into a dark mallet and he leaps upon Mukuro.

Just when Viper was within inches of smashing Mukuro to bits, from inside the ice Mukuro's right eye pupil flashes rapidly and settles on a character. Vines shoot out of the ground and wrap around Viper. The vines were decorated with lotus buds. The lotus buds bloom with an ominous color all along the vines . Instead of the soft pink it was a dark red with their edges tipped dark.

The ice around Mukuro evaporates, "You called me an illusion, runt?"

"Such…power…it hurts…"

"Holy crap…extremely intense!"

"Mukuro is so powerful!" Colonello is amazed.

Reborn nods. "As a ghost trapped in that bell his power was limited. Tsunami allowed him to be with Chrome to use his power within an actual body, belonging to Chrome. Fairly clever." He looks up at Tsunami. Tsunami looks at Reborn and blushes a bit.

"Now then," Mukuro was smug. "Arcobaleno, what will you do about your situation? You're running out of time."

Viper groans in pain and struggles against the vines. He breaks free of them with another flash of his pacifier.

"Don't get cocky!" shouts an entire gym of Vipers!

Many copies of the hooded Arcobaleno appeared. Mukuro's right eye changes, it becomes like a flame! Mukuro slashes and tears through them with his weapon.

"Asura!" Tsunami calls it.

"Spell casters should be above physical combat!" shouts the real Viper. "And I won't recognize the cycle of rebirth! People live their lives over and over forever! That's why I choose to collect…MONEY!"

Both Tsunami and Shini frown at that. Viper's view on the cycle of rebirth seemed to be negative. Money shouldn't be something one lived for. The entire gym is torn apart and it becomes a bright void. This time Viper's illusion breaks through the Soul Barrier. All the Vongola cry out and lose their balance.

Colonello's eagle carries himself and Reborn above the chaos.

"Hahaha!" Mukuro's laugh was boisterous! "A greedy Arcobaleno? Amusing, but…"

A furious storm of flaming vines and lotus flowers crisscross across the gym. The illusions of both Viper and Mukuro were overwhelming. The illusions were starting to affect everyone. Dizziness and sickness came upon them. Tsunami falls to her knees feeling very ill.

"I'm sorry, Tsunami. Please, bear with it. This fight is almost over," Mukuro comforts her.

Viper counters Mukuro's flames with ice, freezing them in place. Mukuro pursues Viper, leaping on and off from the columns of frozen flame. Viper stays ahead of Mukuro and creates more clones of himself. They turn and swarm after Mukuro. The Vongola Mist Guardian faces the Viper swarm. He spins his trident slashing through the multitudes. A tiny Viper dodges through the spinning trident. His cloak expands and captures Mukuro. The lizard's body falls over Mukuro, encircling him. Steel spikes grow out of the skin, pointing inwards. The lizard shrinks stabbing through the cloth.

But something was wrong…

The cloth wriggles against Viper's hold. Viper struggles with all his might to hold on. The cloth is shredded open by a stream of lotus and vines! Mukuro appears unharmed with his incredible smile.

"Die…and return."

Mukuro lifts his hand with both halves of the Mist Ring between his fingers.

"It's not over yet!" Viper yells.

Viper was out breath, yet he continued to speak in his panic, "I was just…toying with…you!...You've yet to see my full power!"

"You know, don't you…that your illusions were repelled by illusions, which means you've completely lost control over your senses."

Phantasma, Viper's pet, begins to strangle his master. Viper begs his pet to stop! The lizard ignores him squeezing tighter and tighter. The floor caves in beneath Viper's feet and the Varia Mist falls. Mukuro cackles and he begins to free fall. The world was wrapped and no one could makes sense of it.

"Hahahaha, how does it feel to be in my world, Arcobaleno!?" Mukuro teases.

Mukuro's body stretches as he bears down on Viper. He forces himself into Viper's mouth! There was a gross slurping sound as Viper is forced to take Mukuro in! As Viper was being filled his body begins to bloat. Viper was being tortured! He could hardly breathe and he was sweating as he fought to get free. He grows larger and larger!

"I'm going …to die! Stop!"

"There's only one reason you lost. Because I was your opponent."

Viper grows and grows to finally, POP!

Tatters of Viper's cape were flung all across the gym. The Vongola were horrified. Belphegor was shocked. Mukuro appears crouched on one knee in the center of the room. He stood up with elegance. The half rings were pulled out from his pocket and connected them together.

The Cervello looked at each in surprised.

"The Mist Ring has been claimed and united…we declare Chrome Dukuro the winner of the Mist Battle."

With the conclusion of the battle the infrared lasers turn off. Tsunami moves first walking up to Mukuro. She circles him a few times and begins touching and patting his body. It felt like Mukuro. Tsunami stands on tip toe and sniffs Mukuro's neck. Smelled like Mukuro. Mukuro watches Tsunami's inspection of his person with amusement. Tsunami sighs in relief, Mukuro was okay. She glares at him and growls. She shows her teeth, out of the Varia's view.

"Mukuro…rough."

"Kufufu, you still have sympathy for the enemy, Tsunami. I didn't go as far as you think. That baby saved enough energy for the right moment to escape. Very sneaky, that Arcobaleno."

Tsunami relaxes and leans into Mukuro's torso. She purrs and nuzzles his chest. He stares down on her for second before smiling and lifting a hand to comb his fingers through her hair. Tsunami tenses and growls again. Mukuro freezes but sees that Tsunami is glaring at Xanxus. Mukuro clicks his tongue to get her attention as he buries his fingers into her hair to rub her ear. Xanxus was watching them and he seemed very agitated. He speaks words to Mosca. He assigns Mosca the task to find an eliminate Viper once the battles were over. Tsunami overheard him and it was the reason why she was upset. Though Viper was the enemy, Tsunami saw Viper as a little infant just like Reborn.

"How you embodied the dark side of the mafia….eh, Xanxus? What you plan…even gives me pause."

Xanxus twitches and his brows deepen. Reborn is alert to Mukuro's statement. Did he know about Xanxus' plans? If he did…Reborn didn't expect that Mukuro be so ready to share that with his fellow comrades.

"No worries, I won't spoil the surprise," Mukuro caresses Tsunami's chin and turns her gaze from Xanxus to him. "You might not want to play around too much with your rival…she only looks small and weak…"

His covered fingers brush over her lips. Tsunami sighs and opens her mouth…who would have thought that her mouth and lips were so sensitive. She follows his fingers, whimpering in pleasure.

"But this body of weakness and frailty…disguises a monster."

Before Tsunami could react to that term, Mukuro claims her mouth. Tsunami shudders and her fangs unsheathe. Mukuro's kiss was hot and aggressive. It thrilled her and her core becomes aflame. Mukuro chuckles his infamous laugh and whips his lips away from her.

"Ah!" Tsunami complains.

"I'm…a little tired…maybe next time," Mukuro winks. "Take care of her, Tsunami."

Mukuro falls forward and his body fades away. Tsunami catches Chrome who was unconscious with a peaceful face. Tsunami hugs Chrome and purrs into the girl's ear. Chrome smiles and snuggles close.

The Cervello reviews the matches thus far. The Vongola has been leading in wins, mostly by the skin of their teeth, with only one lost. The Varia had one win, three loses. Tsunami recalls Mukuro's words. Xanxus had a plan. Her friends have been winning, yet Xanxus seemed not worried at all. He must have something up his sleeves and that made her nervous. What was important was keeping her family safe. So whatever that man was planning, Tsunami would do all in her power to protect her love ones.

"The final guardian contest will be tomorrow between the candidates for Cloud Guardian."

* * *

It was starting to become a ritual to go to Kamiki's bath after nearly every battle. Tsunami insisted on taking them there to make sure that her friends were able to clean their wounds and heal. The baths healed a great amount of injury. Kamiki liked Chrome instantly. She thought she was a very beautiful girl; eye patch and all!

Tsunami requests a spiritual healing bath. The Mist battle took all of Chrome's spiritual as she not only fought but housed Mukuro's spirit who used her body as a medium. Tsunami and Chrome soaked together in the bath of spiritual healing. Hayato joins them as well, since his condition was also based on lack of spiritual energy. Chrome wakes up with her back against Tsunami's chest. Tsunami had fallen asleep over her with chin resting on Chrome's shoulder. While Tsunami was asleep, Chrome admires her. She lifts Tsunami's arm and examines it carefully, from her fingers up to her forearm. Next Chrome touches the pale skin, pink from the heat of the water. Her fingers take in the softness of it and she counted teeny, tiny old scratches. Chrome turns in the water to face Tsunami and her eye strolls over her face and down to her chest. She lifts a finger…and pokes into Tsunami's breast. Tsunami moans and rolls her head back. It rests on the bath's rim edge. Chrome pokes a few times of her mold-able flesh and feeling curiosity grow within her she pokes into her nipple. Tsunami gasps and wakes up!

The girls stare at each other.

Hayato growls, wagging his tail in irritation from a small wash bin filled with the healing water. Tsunami turns and leans out of the bath, reaching out and pets Hayato. She squeaks when she feels Chrome's arms wrap around her and cup her breasts.

"Boss~…"

Tsunami purrs in response.

Chrome was so sweet. Tsunami was really curious how their relationship would grow from this. Hayato growls and grumbles annoyed and envious of Chrome's bold fondling. Above them, Mukuro's ghost form floats over them. He had been very surprised since Chrome and Tsunami shared their first kiss between them. He never would have expected that little Nagi would fall for Tsunami. He grins.


	17. Chapter 17: The One-Sided Battle

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

Chapter 17: The One-Sided Cloud Battle

After the bath, Tsunami made sure Chrome was well cared for. She was very gentle and when she put the girl to bed she buried her in blankets. Shini teasingly explains to the others who were curious about this behavior (and a little jealous) that it was her animal-nature that was sensing that Chrome was hurt, being that she lacked organs. So, to Feral-Tsunami, Chrome is injured.

Reborn had finally dragged Tsunami away from Chrome into a borrowed room to train her.

Chrome pouts when all the loving attention was taken away by the powerful baby. Mukuro lies beside her as she fumes under the layers of blankets and chuckles. Chrome had been starved for attention. She was considered odd by her peers and even her own mother. No one took the time to get to know the poor girl and she was ignored. Tsunami was an accepting creature. So long as you didn't hurt her or her family you were okay in her book. If you had hurt them…well, Mukuro learned that she tries to understand the why behind one's actions and was forgiving.

Mukuro told Chrome everything about Tsunami. What she was, about her family and their occupation as priests and priestesses that dealt with the dead and the lives after death. He shared all his memories around Tsunami and showed her Tsunami's true form. Chrome was surprised but not frightened. In fact, Mukuro sensed she was all the more eager to meet Tsunami. It turned out, that she was smitten with the bat-girl. Smiling softly, he pets Chrome's head. He didn't blame the girl. He understood the feeling.

Reborn was determined to make every second of nightfall until dawn count. After months of months of dog obedience training, Tsunami was finally gaining some control over her feral-mind. It was a challenge to deal with her feral side. Due to her alpha-behavior, Tsunami didn't submit to Reborn as readily as she would when she was mostly human. Sometimes, Tsunami would lash out at Reborn when he would use violence to gain her attention and keep it. It was a fight almost every time. Fortunately, Basil was available. Colonello had seen Tsunami when she was acting tame. Reborn assured his fellow Acrobaleno that Tsunami knew how to act tame, but was still a wild animal at heart. Perhaps, that's why Reborn liked Tsunami more than any student he had. She was a challenge and wasn't easily cowed by him. Her animal-side saw right through him and knew that he was dangerous despite his appearance and wanted to affirm its status as the alpha in their relationship. But, Reborn has proven, by the near skin of his teeth, that he was the boss for now.

"Let's get started, Tsunami. We still have much to prepare for."

Tsunami grunts.

* * *

The sun rose and fell hours later.

Chrome woke up alone, in the physical instance. Ken and Chikusa had gone roaming through Namimori. Tsunami's friends went to school or went to their own homes to rest up for the later battle. Chrome could sense Mukuro's presence. Chrome climbs out of the mountain of blankets and searches for Tsunami. With Mukuro's help, they found her in a room that had been darkened by Kimiki for Tsunami to sleep comfortable through the day. Reborn was sleeping in a futon that was much, much too big for his tiny body, but the large snot-bubble made it seemed that he was very comfortable. Chrome looks around the room, but sees no signs of Tsunami. Mukuro tells her too look up and when she does she was startled. Tsunami was lying on the ceiling as if she was sleeping on the floor. She was curled in a fetal position and snored lightly. Chrome stares at the strange sleeping arrangement before she quietly settles against a wall close to Tsunami.

Chrome sits quietly for two hours when Tsunami starts twitching. At the same time, Reborn's bubble pops and he was awake. He looks immediately to Chrome.

"My, you're a quiet, patient person."

Reborn leaves the room to the bathroom to prepare himself.

Tsunami grumbles and gnashes her teeth. Her eyes snap open and she rolls onto her back, griping the ceiling with her hands and flats of her bare feet. Fur grows in patches, fingers grow longer and longer and are connected by thin flesh. Tsunami become feral and lands on the floor on her elongated feet with long, sickle-like claws on her toes and on her thumb claws as her wings folded within themselves. Tsunami groans and yawns. Arching her back up to the ceiling as high as a cat would. Her stomach was then pressed into the ground and she throws her hair over her stretched out back. After her morning-evening stretching of her bones and muscles, Tsunami's eyes rove over Chrome. She curls back her lips and opens her mouth showing off her fangs, then clacking them together. Mukuro learned that this was a sign that Tsunami was ready to eat which he informs Chrome about it.

Chrome crawls away from the wall and sits in front of Tsunami's crouched body. She undoes a few buttons away asnd exposes her ivory tower of a neck. Tsunami leans towards Chrome's neck and breathes in Chrome's scent. She rumbles but then pulls away. Feeling the distance, Chrome opens her eye. Tsunami's tall bat ears were low, draping over the back of her head and over her hair.

"Boss?"

Tsunami whines.

"She is concerned for your health. Tsunami could see and even smell through the illusion of your organs. According to her senses, you're sick or injured."

Chrome reaches for Tsunami and strokes her cheek. She takes Mukuro's trident's blade and presses the tallest prong against her neck and gently pricks through the skin. Tsunami's nose flares at the scent of Chrome's blood. She snaps her fangs together sharply and her stomach grumbles. Not good for Chrome's blood to go to waste. Tsunami catches the droplet of blood that had slowly made its way down. Her tongue travels up the thin blood trail. Chrome coos and rests the blade on the ground beside her and holds Tsunami's shoulders. Tsunami prepares her neck with gentle licking and kissing earning mewing sounds from Chrome. Mukuro takes a seat beside the two girls and watches the intimate ritual of feeding.

From his time being with Tsunami, the feeding ritual was a very sensual affair between her and her guardians.

With Hayato, it was sacred to the self-proclaimed right-hand. He was her first willing partner to let her take of his blood. He always insisted to be done the proper way, her fangs onto his neck. The delinquent brainiac had done research and discovered that the biting of neck was most acceptable for its close proximity to the heart where the organ is always cleaning and making fresh new healthy blood. Hayato (though it started when Nekomasa fused their souls) had been making great strides to quit smoking to make sure his blood was at its best for his beloved boss.

Takeshi enjoyed being fed from as much as Hayato. Takeshi desired close intimacy with Tsunami. Tsunami's love and care could be felt through the feeding. It was genuine. Takeshi felt appreciated and needed from her, more so than any of his "fans" and numerous "friends" in his peer group. While she fed, Takeshi hugged her close and combed through her hair with his fingers. He tried to touch her as much as he could. Though it wasn't sexual, it was just hugging and stroking over her leg, arms, shoulders and back. Mukuro was sure however that it had changed completely recently.

Feeding from Ryohei was hot and heavy. Ryohei learned about Tsunami's true being and had sex with her right after. When Tsunami fed from Ryohei, the boxer didn't wish to be numbed. He claimed he could take the pain…and would enjoy it more being bitten "raw".

Tsunami had yet to feed from Kyoya. Or at least a deep sip. Tsunami had told him that she only got a nip of him and he was tasty. His blood was meaty. Whatever that meant… Also, both Tsunami and Kyoya could both be considered alphas. Perhaps Kyoya believed it would be submissive to just let Tsunami feed from him. Mukuro could understand that. The boys who have been bitten do seem to lower themselves just for her.

Mukuro had watched all have their blood taken and he was envious. Even now, he envied his sweet little Nagi. Like Takeshi, he wanted that connection; the closeness of her body over him, the feeling of his own life essence nourishing Tsunami. Without warning, Mukuro dives into Chrome's body in mild-possession. Chrome was still aware of her surroundings; her awareness was being shared with Mukuro. Tsunami takes her last deep sip.

"Ohhhh," Chrome moans.

Mukuro voiced his pleasure along with her. It wasn't his blood or body, but it was almost enough for him. Just a taste being tasted.

After finishing her meal, Tsunami completes the ritual with the cleaning and healing. The licking wasn't soggy, it was the just right amount and it gave one a feeling of being refreshed.

Chrome sighs and clings to Tsunami. Tsunami nuzzles Chrome making cooing and purring sounds. Mukuro remarks to himself that for someone who is closely associated to a flying rodent, she was quite cat-like at times.

"Time to go, Tsunami! We have training to do." Reborn was dressed to impress as per usual.

Reborn's announcement gives Chrome a start, "Training…but, what about the match?"

"It isn't necessary for her to be there. It's Hibari."

Tsunami snorts.

"See, even Tsunami as an animal knows that he'll be okay. Also, Xanxus isn't to be trusted. He has been too calm through these battles and he has been losing badly. He's up to something and Tsunami needs to be ready. She is close to achieving the death-paration zero point break. I have a job for you Chrome."

Chrome blinks in surprise.

"I need you to pay close attention in how Tsunami looks during her training. Take in every detail. I'm sure Mukuro would assist you."

"Okay, but why?"

"Just in case."

* * *

"Listen up, all of you! This one's for all the marbles!"

Takeshi and Ryohei were staring down on Hayato. He was STILL a cat but tonight…

"Hey, congratulations, you can talk again!" laughs Takeshi. "Anyway, it's Hibari's match tonight."

"Raawr, I know that!" spats Hayato, tail and body fur frizzing over.

"So, why all the noise?" huffs Ryohei.

"Cuz' we're in charge in the boss' absence! We can't let her down!"

"And we won't, okay, no prob," Takeshi waves it off.

Hayato continues to fuss and Takeshi and Ryohei try to keep him calm assured that they were taking the situation seriously. Takeshi was the first to notice Kyoya's arrival. The Disciplinary Perfect strolls towards them with a cool demeanor. He questions their presence and learns that they were his rooters. He called them a nuisance and it sets both Hayato and Ryohei off. Kyoya takes an interest in Hayato, hearing the bomber's voice coming out of the cat.

"So, it really is you."

Kyoya crouches down to Hayato's level. Hayato's frizzies grow larger and he stood with his back arched. Kyoya reaches out and pats Hayato's head. The cat loses his threatening posture. Kyoya's kindness while he was an animal always threw him off! Kyoya pets Hayato until there was loud sound like an explosion and the ground trembles beneath their feet. Kyoya stood up and smirks.

"I see, so all I have to do is bite that thing to death."

He looks upon the Mosca. The Cervello also make a dramatic appearance and guides the group to the athletic field. The field had been turned to a war zone! There was a 30-foot barbed wire fence built to form a circular cage in the center of the field. The Cervello further goes into the features of the field. Eight gatling guns were set within the inner circle of the fence. Buried beneath the ground were weight-sensing traps set to detonate after an alarm! The boys sweated. This field was possibly the most dangerous and intense battle field yet!

Belphegor snickers, "What the matter? Afraid? Looks like your boss isn't here! Couldn't take the suspense!?"

Hayato snarls at the prince. Before any of them could speak in Tsunami's defense, it was Kyoya who addresses the prince first.

"My pet doesn't need to be here. Such is her confidence in me."

"BWA HA HA HA!" Xanxus laughs from his grand seat. "Confidence!? That girl is afraid! Afraid to see you lose!"

"Ya' dirty creep!" a voice calls across the field.

On the slanted hill looking over the field were Ken and Chikusa with their escort Shini.

"Hey, Shini-san!" waves Takeshi.

"Hey, just Shini!" she waves back.

"We were just in the neighborhood and were bored…" Ken explains their presence. "Chrome is keeping Tsu-chan company though."

Kyoya moves within the field, leaving the boys to themselves. Hayato climbs up to Takeshi's shoulder and insists that they do the huddle. They do so, calling Kyoya's name and shouting fight. But it didn't have its usual pep, which Hayato points out. Ryohei argues that he didn't feel pumped since Kyoya didn't do it with them. Takeshi laughs on how Hayato didn't like the huddle. Hayato wipes his face with a paw, to cover his embarrassment, and said that it was for Tsunami.

"Are we ready?" asks one of the Cervello. "The Cloud Ring Battle between Gola Mosca and Kyoya Hibari will begin NOW!"

Mosca leans forward and turbines fire up. He flies across the field towards Kyoya, holding out its hand and fires bullets at Kyoya. Kyoya stood in Mosca's path and raises his tonfa…

KACHINK!

**CRACK**!

Mosca is on its back! With its firing arm ripped from his shoulders. Kyoya had made a single pass along its side! The Mosca's wires flop about and spark, crack and snap. The Mosca explodes in a great ball of fire! There was dead silence all around him. The Vongola boys' mouths hung open. Hayato felt Nekomasa shudder within his mind and body. The cat spirit was grateful that Kyoya wasn't a priest and was also an animal lover! Shini cups her hands beside her mouth.

"It ain't a race, Kyo-chan! Damn!"

Kyoya holds up his half of the ring and puts it together with the Mosca's. He tosses it at one of the Cervello, who barely catches it, too stunned by the brutally short battle.

"You! In the armchair! Get over here!" Kyoya orders. "You're the boss of these vandals, right? You're also the one who's been upsetting my pet. It's about time I taught you a lesson."

"We lost, Boss…" whispers Belphegor. "What's next?"

Xanxus merely smirks. He leaps from his chair and drops down on Kyoya! Kyoya swiftly raises his tonfa and blocks Xanxus' heavy kick! Xanxus pushes against Kyoya's weapons and flips away from him a few feet.

"…I slipped," he was grinning.

"Probably." Kyoya throws off his jacket, ready to fight.

"I'm not joking."

Xanxus shifts his boot and there was a click. BEEP! Xanxus leaps away from the trap as it explodes.

"I just entered the field to retrieve that pile of junk." Xanxus explains his aggressive actions. "We lost. I'm crushed."

"Yeah? You don't look it."

Kyoya goes on the offensive. He makes swipes at Xanxus' smug mug, but the young man dodges his attack. One of the gatling guns comes to life, takes aim at the pair and fires rounds off. Boy and man dodge bullets, with Kyoya still laying on attacks on Xanxus.

"Whoa now! I'm not fighting you!"

"Fight or don't fight…I'm still gonna' bite you to death."

Shini groans, slapping her hand over her face, "Hibari are a pain in the ass!"

Kyoya becomes faster and faster in his attacks as Xanxus continues to dodge. Xanxus loses his smile as he concentrates to keep up with the skilled kid. He holds his hand out in front of him and catches Kyoya's tonfa in the palm of his hand. Kyoya knew instantly that his hand had been waiting for his tonfa. Xanxus grunts in agitation and throws Kyoya away from him.

"Cervello!" he roars.

"Yes, Master Xanxus?"

"Be sure to note that I didn't attack him," He speaks as he dodges.

Xanxus takes a swipe at Kyoya's leg. It was heat-searing pain that went through Kyoya's leg and spread through his body. It brings him down to one knee. The boys call out to him but their voices were drowned out by high-pitch whistling. Looking up they see missiles falling from the sky! They dodged at the last second and several explosions go off as they hit the ground. Dirt and smoke fill the air as they cough and called out to each to make sure they were okay. Belphegor heard more whistling heading towards his direction! He doesn't look but moves quickly away as more missiles appeared and struck where he once stood.

"How awful," Xanxus' voice held no remorse or concern, "I was retrieving Mosca but the other side's Cloud Guardian blocked my way…So now Mosca's gone out of control."

From the smoke and flames, the Mosca was alive. It was randomly firing missiles throughout the field. Everyone was dodging the deadly arsenal for their lives. The windows, walls and classrooms were also suffering as missiles spiral this way and that. Glass and other debris falls everywhere! Xanxus cackles amongst the chaos. Laughing on how "terrible" the situation was!

"That bastard," Hayato growls from Takeshi's shoulder, "He was planning on killing us in the end and making it look like an accident!"

The fence was blown apart and sent flying over to where the outside spectators sat. Ken and Chikusa scramble. There was squeak and the two look back. Shini didn't move fast enough but was able to transform into something smaller to dodge it easily. Shini had turn to a bat and she flutters to Chikusa and slips under his beanie, shaking in fear. She had never seen such violence! They hear a whirring sound, one of the gatling guns had been knocked over but it was still live. It was aiming at the three of them and was firing up! Not only that, Mosca was targeting them. They were cornered!

"Ken-san! Chikusa-san!" Chrome was running towards them.

"Stupid girl! Get away!" yells Ken.

The Mosca lifts it undamaged arm and fires up a flame thrower and blasts a great inferno! Ken and Chikiusa await their fiery deaths…but it didn't come. Another flame darts between and shields the two Kokuyo students. Shini peeks from under the white beanie and was stunned by who had saved them. The burning flame shielding them came from a metallic, thigh-high boot held high and out. It belonged to Tsunami. A great flame flared in the center of her forehead, her eyes were orange and bright. She had great balance to hold her leg up to push against Mosca's flame and deflect the bullets of the gun until both burnt out. She calmly lowers her leg and looks over to them.

Tsunami was wearing a short yellow rain jacket. The hood was large and shadowed her face, but her flame and eyes lit of the darkness beneath the hood. The sleeves of the jacket were a little long, possibly to hide her fur-covered arms and hands, decorated with claws. She was semi-human, but still compared to what she should look like under a full-moon it was an amazing accomplishment to Shini.

"Tsu…Tsu-chan?" Shini titters.

Tsunami rumbles from her throat. She turns her gaze onto the thing that attempted to hurt her family. She chatters her teeth. Basil and Reborn join the field.

"Sawada-sama! That was incredible!"

"Told you it was worth the wait," Reborn grins with pride.

"So she'd showed up…big deal," Xanxus wasn't threatened.

Belphegor observes Tsunami's outfit and was very confused of why she was wearing something so lame. She was even wearing black and white horizontal stockings that were peeking out from under her leg gauntlets. What was with the Vongola's weird sense of style tonight?

The Mosca continues to rampage and it now had a new target! Missiles rain down on her. Tsunami stares up at the incoming projectiles and breathes calmly. Her pupils sharpen thin as she marks mentally each missile. She leaps from the ground and was flying, without her wings, but by the force of her flame shooting from the soles of her leg gauntlets. She spins herself in midair and makes a roundhouse kick, using the flames to melt down the missiles. With the missiles diminished, she bares down on the Mosca. She comes down fast and grabs onto the Mosca's remaining arm and rips it from its socket. She crushes it into a ball and tosses it aside. She growls at Mosca and was upon it again. More missiles are launch and Tsunami was a blur dodging and weaving on the ground. With a great leap she throws her leg out and kicks into the very center of the Mosca. It cracks down the middle and splits apart!

Her boys cheer. It was a solid hit and the Mosca falls at last for the last time!

Tsunami was suddenly alert when something fell from the Mosca. When the dust and smoke clears she looks upon an old man! There was someone alive inside the robot! Tsunami growls and walks upon him. Her claws wiggle from within her raincoat's sleeves. According to her feral-mind, this man was a part of the Mosca. He and it tried to destroy her family. It must be eliminated! She raises her hand…

"Stop, Tsunami!" Reborn shouts.

Tsunami stills, never hearing that sort of tone of authority used on her. It brings her back to use her senses. This man was familiar to Tsunami! She crouches down beside the old man and sniffs. He smelled familiar…but when had she smelled this man?

"Sawada-sama! It's the Ninth!" Basils calls.

The Ninth…the Ninth? Tsunami shakes her head trying to remember. Then she remembers Reborn showing a picture of the man. This was the Ninth? What was he doing inside the machine and trying to kill her family and friends?

Reborn is at the Ninth's side fast. He carried with him a first aid kit and was checking over the Ninth's health. He goes on to assume that the Ninth was used as a power source to run the Mosca. Everyone was stun. But Reborn didn't get a reaction out of Tsunami. She was still trying to understand who this man was, not as the Ninth, the Boss of the Mafia, but as someone…someone she possibly knew…

Shini returns to her human form discreetly. She moves in close and gasps.

"Tsunami! That's Timoteo-san!"

Tsunami whips her head to her aunt. Her aunt her knew him?

"Don't ya' remember…oh gosh…you were so small then…he was visiting when we're visiting! With Papa and Mama…Papa liked Timoteo-san! He still talks about him…he considers him family!"

Tsunami trembles. Grandfather Buiiro…considered Timoteo…the Ninth…family? She had hurt family! Tsunami whimpers and digs her claws into the ground. Her flame snuffs out in her dismay.

"Don't act so surprised!" growls Xanxus. "You mercilessly attacked the 9th generation Boss of the Vongola!"

"You hush up!" Shini snaps, her eyes flash red. "Tsunami don't listen to that man…this ain't yer fault! You didn't know! You didn't know!"

"This looks bad, first aid won't be enough…" Reborn mumbles.

Tsunami hears Reborn. She hears Xanxus' accusations of how she put all her strength into harming the Ninth. Shini assures Tsunami that it wasn't her fault…but it was her fault. She did put everything she had in that attack! Even after the Ninth was revealed she was going to kill him! She thought he was threat! A threat that was to be eliminated….

"Why were you so brutal, Sawada? To assure your succession, perhaps?"

'_N-no….no…_' Tsunami digs her claws deeper into the earth. Her fangs pierce into her lips. "_No….no…I didn't mean…to hurt….I hurt…family…again…monster…monster…I am a monster…!_'

"….Tsunami…" whispers a hoarse voice.

Tsunami stiffens and lifts her head that had been bowed to her chest. Her red eyes meet the deep, soulful eyes of Timoteo.

"You…didn't do…this," he forces out his voice, "I'm the one…who did this…"

Tsunami moves closer. She feels his soul. He was a good man. Why didn't she see it before!? She whimpers and gently lifts his hand and touches it to her forehead. Timoteo smiles.

"It…has been a long time…Tsunami. My, you're…so pretty!...Don't be sorry…this all happened because…I was weak…and awakened Xanxus from his eternal slumber."

"Boss!" Reborn shouts. "What do you mean? After Cradle, Xanxus left the family. As far as I understood, Xanxus was allowed to go his own way, under close watch."

"Cradle? I heard about that!" Hayato grips Takeshi's shoulder, his tail twitching nervously. "They said that there was a coup that stormed the Vongola…so, it was Xanxus!?"

"Thou may be correct," Basils nods. "It was saideth that an elite force went in to over throw the Ninth to make himself Boss over all the Vongola. The rebel leader's identity was kepth a secret!"

"…I had…put Xanxus in cry-freeze…During that time he had honed his anger and vindictiveness to a fine edge."

Tsunami was barely listening; still caught up in her despair. Timoteo's heart went out to her.

"Tsunami…Reborn has been sending me reports of your progress. You're an amazing young lady. He told me about your life…your family…how you immerse yourself in your training to be a priestess and how you bravely reach out…to those from the grave…you have a heart…thoroughly unsuited for the life of a Mafia boss…and yet…I know how…in a crunch that you will take a beating…than allow a friend to be hurt. I know that, my dear!" Timoteo strains in his speech.

He points his finger, from the hand Tsunami held, and taps it against the center of her forehead.

"That's why I had no trouble…in choosing you as my successor."

Tsunami jerks her head up. A small flame flutters onto Timoteo's finger. It was warm and nostalgic. Tsunami knew this touch…

She feels something open up from within her soul. Warmth crawls all through her.

_She is five years old again. Short-pigtails and covered head to toe with clothing. In her arms was her favorite toy, the round lion plush…that was given to her…by the Ninth! There he was, in her earliest memories in his silly Hawaiian shirt! Buiiro and his wife and Shini were there laughing with him. Buiiro really liked him and he and Timoteo teased her father together._

_The memory shifts and it is night. Timoteo wakes up in the middle of the night thirsty and leaves the guest room down to the kitchen. He is filling a glass from the cupboard with water from the faucet. He was quenching his thirst when he felt a presence. He looks up…and sees her! Sitting on the ceiling in her girly, pink pumpkin pajama bottoms and matching pink frilly top. They stare at each other quietly until Tsunami breaks out into a grin showing her sharp canines. Timoteo slowly sets the glass in the sink and reaches out his arms to her. Tsunami loses her smile. She didn't feel safe just falling into the frail-looking old man's arms. So she turned from him and crawls across the ceiling and down the kitchen wall. Once her feet were on the ground she goes to the old man and holds her hands up to be lifted off the ground. Timoteo lifts her up and holds her. He lifts her lip with a finger and sees the tiny fangs that were longer than he had seen them!_

_He takes Tsunami into her room and sits her on the bed. _

"_What are you, Tsunami-chan?"_

"_Hungry!" she chirps._

_She takes his hand and brings his wrist to her mouth. She kisses it a few times and bites down. Her teeth were tiny and his hand was half-numbed. It didn't hurt him. He feels his blood being pulled from him and into little Tsunami. She only takes a sip and was satisfied. She even becomes sleepy and settles into her bed._

"_Tsunami-chan? Who are you?" Timoteo asks again._

_Tsunami yawns, "I…am… Sawada Tsunami…Tejinaka…bat…good night, jii-san."_

The memory fades away. Tsunami feels Timoteo fading away according to his soul! Tsunami whimpers and cries as he holds his hand. He needed medical attention. Tears were streaming down her face.

His hand falls limp.

This man had known all these years what she was! He knew! He knew without Reborn omitting that secret from his reports that she wasn't completely human! In her memory, he had accepted her! He accepted who she was and even chose her over his own son; Xanxus…to one day lead his familgia in his stead!

He accepted all she was and chose her!

Over his son, Xanxus…Xanxus…Xanxus…

"Satisfied, you cold-blooded killer!?"

_Xanxus_…

"You struck at him so callously! It's an affront not only to me, his loving son, but to the great and noble Vongola spirit!"

_Xanxus_…

Tsunami clutches Timoteo's hand tightly. Her shoulders shook violently.

_Xanxus_…

"What's with those tears…don't play innocent! That burn wound on my father's chest condemns you! With the Boss dead, this battle over the rings is meaningless. For his sake and for the future of the Vongola…"

_XANXUS!_

"I will avenge this black stain on the Vongola honor by killing you!"

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGH!" Tsunami shrieks to the moon.

Tsunami pants wildly, her eyes blow wide open and darkens to a red that was almost black. Her brown hair was thick and bristling, turning dark. It shook like the quills of a porcupine! Tsunami covers Timoteo's body protectively.

'_XANXUS…XANXUS…XANXUS…SACRFICED…FATHER…SELFISH…MONSTER…REAL MONSTER…!_'

The raincoat's sleeves stretches and tears as her fingers and webbing branch out for the second time tonight! The hood was thrown off her head and her ears were on top. Instead of the round, soft edged they had turned pointed. Her leg gauntlets were back to wool socks, they tear at the ends of the toes as her toes claws grew!

"TSUNAMI NO!" Shini cries.

Reborn leaps back. Tsunami was growing into a dangerous state. This was a brand new level of feral!

"Chrome!"

Chrome was shaken. Tsunami looked scary this time because of the rage! Reborn yells her name and Chrome tries to hide Tsunami in an illusion.

"I…I can't!"

"Why!?" Reborn shouts.

"It's useless…her anger isn't just affecting her appearance…her soul is in turmoil!" Shini's voice quivers.

Her soul was resisting the illusion. Shini could feel the overwhelming power of Tsunami's soul. It was growing larger and larger. Her beautiful soul that was a sunny color was a furious shade of red, circling around her.

"This…this was what…Squalo was afraid of…!" Belphegor was shaking in terror.

Tsunami turns her gaze onto Xanxus. His eyes were round with horror! He takes a step back when she glares at him. Tsunami crawls over Timoteo and stalks Xanxus. With a shriek she runs on all fours towards Xanxus. The Cervello didn't move to stop her. Too afraid of this monstrosity! Xanxus stares into the face of the supposedly weak murderer of his father.

"_**Young man, you speak of monsters…you have no idea of the beast that dwells within that girl…She is of the Tejinaka Clan, and they protect their love ones with strength and ferocity."**_

Those were the words ringing in Xanxus' ears from that battle that seemed so long ago and he had foolishly dismissed.

"**XANXUS**!" Tsunami roars.

She punches her wing out and it swipes deeply across his face.


	18. Chapter 18: Night Sky-Mode

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 18: Night Sky Mode

A claw slices through the thin skin and flesh of Xanxus' face. A bloody mist line speckles in the air. Shock and fear fills everyone's faces. Xanxus doesn't get the chance to react to the ripping pain on face he when was thrown to the ground! Tsunami was upon him snarling into his face. She had the appearance of a sabre-tooth tiger! Her hair, dark and bristling took up his vision. Glowing red eyes glare down on him. Fangs stretch from under her curled back upper lip. Tsunami had completely lost herself, dribbling saliva dripping from her fangs.

"KEN!"

The ground shakes and Tsunami is tackled. She is pushed a great distance by Ken in his Rhino channel. A rhino's horn had grown from his nose and the boy gained enough bulk and muscle to force Tsunami away from Xanxus. Tsunami snarls and flaps her wings, batting them against Ken.

Shini was right behind Ken. She knew it was useless talking to Tsunami. Tsunami was furious and beyond reasoning. Timeteo was seriously injured, needed medical attention and needed it fast! But, they won't be able to help him with Tsunami in this state. She was fighting for his sake against his son, Xanxus. Xanxus had hurt Timeteo. He brought all this pain onto her family. He was a serious threat and was a threat that needed to be eliminated! It was what her natural-familial instincts demanded!

"Shini! Give me a clear shot!"

Reborn's squeaky voice hits her ears sharply. She doesn't question her niece's tutor. Ken held the "forearms" of Tsunami's wings. Shini slips behind Tsunami and she has Ken help turn Tsunami about. Shini was strong herself, but it was better for her to have Tsunami's back to avoid the Gaze of the Alpha and be bent to Tsunami's will.

Leon stretches his body out longer and longer until he was able to turn into a rifle into Reborn's hands. Reborn reaches into suit jacket and pulls out a tin case. Opening the case, inside were three darts. The darts were thick and round wrapped in blue. Reborn loads a single dart into the Leon-rifle and takes aim. Tsunami thrashes and beats against Ken and her aunt. She roares and let loose high-pitch shrieks that could make ears bleed. He yells at Shini to give him a clear area of Tsunami. Shini wisely moves Tsunami to where her back is exposed. Tsunami's incredible wingspan whirled dust around them. Ken could barely keep his hold. He tries to change out his fangs to something stronger with a better grip but he was unable to change channels.

Reborn had to put Tsunami down before someone got hurt or worse…even if it would be better if THAT person was killed. But, this shouldn't be the way Xanxus goes down. Reborn slowly squeezes the trigger and fires!

Tsunami throws her head back and gasps. It wasn't a little sting. It was as if someone stabbed a thin knife into her back! She can feel something quickly moving through her body and she shudders as the red in her eyes becomes filled with darkness. Tsunami collapses between Ken and Shini. Ken slouches, panting in exhaustion. Shini doesn't waste any time. She lifts Tsunami into her arms and races out of the school's field and into the night. Another pair of Cervello was called to tend to Xanxus. The Cervello judges were shaken.

"S-sawada…Tsunami…" begins the first Cervello.

"Has…attacked…"

"Don't overestimate your authority, Cervello!" Reborn's voice was deep and cold.

The Cervello flinch violently.

"Both sides," Reborn glares at Xanxus, "were out of line. You see my student as out of line, just as I see Xanxus out of line. This isn't over. This will be continued in a final battle. I can safely speak for my student that she is willing to fight."

The Cervello turn to Xanxus, "Master Xanxus…"

"What is your decision?"

One of the Cervello tending to Xanxus was treating the wound. She gasps as she draws back seeing old dark scars grow across his face. Xanxus was grinding his teeth. He looks at the questioning Cervello, his eyes white with rage. His breath was hissing through his teeth to contain his wrath. Barely able to move his head, he nods.

"Master Xanxus agrees," confirms the Cervello.

"The Sky Ring battle will be held tomorrow night at Namimori Middle School."

Reborn reaches up and catches something that was thrown at his face. Opening his hand, he finds the Vongola Sky Half-Ring in his possession. Reborn looks up to see the seething Xanxus being assisted away. Belphegor follows in fearful silence away from Xanxus. Reborn turns to the Guardians. They had never seen Tsunami in such a manner. Reborn says nothing to them. This would be another test of their loyalty to their boss.

* * *

Once Shini isolated herself and Tsunami, she shifts her form to her own hybrid form to be able to take the tranquilized Tsunami into the sky. Shini takes Tsunami to a small temple shrine in the middle of a grove of trees. This shrine didn't belong to the Hibari. It was actually a shrine built at Buiiro's request. It was a shrine Buiiro had commissioned for Lord Mori. The Land God Mori was very pleased to have been remembered and had a place in the lively city-side of Namimori. Before Nana and Tsunami, Buiiro sent members of his clan to tend to the shrine. It would have been better to make the shrine a permanent station within Namimori City. Wisely, it was thought best not to disturb the balance between their tentative relationship with the Hibari clan who were very large and strong back then.

Shini takes Tsunami within the shrine and lays her before a regal statue representing Lord Mori. Seeing the Shini smiled a bit. Mori acted nothing like his statue. The 60's and 70's brought out the goof in him. Though, her father had said that Mori was a happy-go-lucky kind of god, it just got worse during the aforementioned time periods. But Mori was powerful and he cared for his servants that brought him recognition and power from the faith of the people of Namimori. She hopes that he was on the spiritual line, for Tsunami's sake.

Shini goes through the temple. It hadn't been modernized with electricity; it had to be lit with oil lamps. Fortunately, some of the older Tejinaka taught the younger generation how to light and care for the lamps. It was pretty simple as Shini quickly went through the halls. Shini finds a closet with a container of hand-made blankets and futons. She returns to Tsunami and sets up a comfortable spot for her. With Tsunami resting, Shini lights incense. The room is filled with the smell of incense and it soothes Shini's frazzled mind. She kneels beside Tsunami and peers inside to check on her soul. Her soul was calm now from the nulling effects of the tranquilizer on her body and the incense lit for her soul. She closes her eyes and prays over her niece.

* * *

Tsunami opens her eyes within her mind. She feels herself floating as she was in a state of wholeness. Smiling to herself she reaches up to her heart with her hands. Reaching up to her forehead, she feels her flame warm and holding great strength. There was a confidence and understanding in her flame that was better than before. It was a part of her. There never was a Hinoh-nami. It was her all this time.

Reopening her eyes she looks to the side. In the abyss of white sat Kou-nami completely still. She didn't look alive. More like an empty husk. Tsunami rights herself up and her feet touch the floor. She goes to Kou-nami's form and stares at the beast of her own imagination.

"I was afraid of this side of me," Tsunami confesses. "When I first met the whole clan, I felt left out being the only member that was human. Then I became feral for the first time. I was small and didn't remember anything when I was feral. But, I did remember returning to myself and realizing that I had hurt another. It was an accident they told me and the other children were fine. But, I still felt so guilty. To me, it was a horrible thing to do. So I avoided everyone when I was feral. I secluded myself from my own family. Most of the reunions are held before or after a week of a full moon."

Tsunami smiles, "Then all of the sudden, I've made friends with a few humans and well…" she blushes. "They maybe more than friends…but they've learned what I am and have accepted me. They even trust me when I was feral and have helped me to get better control of it. I am positive now, that I can be feral without fear of hurting my family! Human or feral, I will protect the ones I love!"

Kou-nami fades away like a wisp of smoke. Tsunami's soul takes her true form. Armed wings, multi-digit toes with fur up to her thighs. Her ears turn her bat ears and twitch on the top of her head. Tsunami smiles softly, her fangs glinting between her lips. She was whole! Truly and completely whole and it felt wonderful.

Shini feels Tsunami's soul grow larger. There were bright colors glowing in front of her eyelids. They snap open and Shini quickly locates the source. The beads were now all a glow. The three remaining beads were lit the brightest.

The blue bead Visuddha represented truth and tranquility. Visuddha was revealing that Tsunami's soul and body were both at peace.

Anja the indigo bead being the state of mind and intuition. The Anja chakra was important in the communication of spirits and being able to deal with them. This bead had been on the verge of awakening, for Tsunami was deep in meditation and communicated with most ghosts and spirits.

The final bead was the violet Sahasrara. Sahasrara is when the soul of an individual becomes one with itself. Tsunami was one with her spirit. Her two identities she created of herself were taken in and she was complete.

Shini smiles with pride. She leans over Tsunami and kisses her forehead.

"Congratulations, Tsunami. You have completed your training."

* * *

In the most expensive hotel in Namimori City, Xanxus is being properly attended to by a private doctor. Private being that the doctor commonly worked with injuries inflicted upon those of the underground; who couldn't go to a legal doctor who would ask too many questions. The doctor was patching up the cut that ripped Xanxus' skin from the corner of his lip to across jaw, his cheek and split his ear in half. The doctor assumed that Xanxus was attacked by some animal. Was it a wild party gone horribly wrong? The doctor keeps his questions and thoughts to himself. That was why he was hired. Besides, the young man was certainly not in the mood for asking questions. The man was stewing in anger. His face was pinched tight and his red eyes blazing like an inferno. His body temperature was rising and his old scars…they were expanding! It was horrifyingly incredible to the doctor.

The doctor completes his work and quickly has one of the Cervello escort him out. Now alone, Xanxus rises stiffly and stalks towards bar. He rips a bottle of scotch from the under the bar and slams it down on the counter top causing it to crack. A glass cup was forced to join the scotch. Xanxus glares down on the cup. In a split second, the cup is thrown across the room and shatters to pieces against the wall. With his bare, scarred hands he removes the top of the scotch, throws back his head and chugs down the burning alcohol. Xanxus was furious and humiliated. Furious to have been wounded so deeply and humiliated to have been afraid of that girl…no, she was a monster!

"I will kill Sawada Tsunami like the filthy beast she is!" he vows.

* * *

The mid-afternoon sun warms the cool air. The tranquilizer wears off and Tsunami grunts and turns in her futon before opening her eyes. Something gray and fuzzy was curled up beside her head. Rolling onto her stomach she purrs seeing Hayato asleep. She bows her neck to rub her head against him. She didn't mean to wake him up but the cat jolts awake and leaps upon her rubbing himself all over.

"Juudaime! Juudaime!" Hayato cries. "Are you okay!? Are you feeling better!? That bastard made you so upset it was horrible! My hime!"

Tsunami reverts her wings to furry hands and claws to hold onto Hayato's wiggling large body. She pets him down his back and rubs her nose against his. Long, strong arms wrap around her from behind. A sunny-side chuckle tickles her ears.

"Hey, baseball idiot! This is our moment!" hisses Hayato.

"Good morning, Tsunami-chan." Takeshi kisses her cheek. His honey-brown eyes look her over from her shoulder. "You're doing a lot better. You seem peaceful. Haha, I guess letting all that frustration out was good for you."

"Baseball idiot…"

Tsunami sighs and arches her back against Takeshi and holds Hayato closer. She was grinning. They still cared for her! Even after that ballistic animalistic display of fury! Tsunami nips at Takeshi's chin.

Thundering feet from outside approaches the temple and stomps up the steps. The sliding door is rattled open.

"TSUNAMI-CHAN!"

Tsunami didn't lose her smile, though her ears were ringing like church bells. Hayato had to leap out of Tsunami arms as Ryohei practically leaps upon Tsunami. He squeezes her tight, totally not noticing Hayato clawing at the back of his thick hoodie. Ryohei grabs her faces and kisses her. Tsunami growls intimately against his lips. Sitting back, Ryohei digs through his hoodie's pocket. He pulls out a pair of cloth charms.

"Here, Tsunami! These are from my sister and that girl Haru!"

Tsunami takes the charms. On observing them, she noticed that they were good luck charms for health. They have been prayed over and Tsunami could sense their faith and hope from her two girl friends. It warmed her heart tenfold. Ryohei hands out more charms for the rest of them. Kyoko and Haru hadn't been seeing Tsunami's little group. Ryohei had told them that he had accidently gave them his cold! Hayato complains about Ryohei's lame excuse. Good news follows and Ryohei tells Tsunami that the girls had been visiting Lambo. Today, they were happy to report that Lambo had finally woken up. He was demanding and lively as ever. Chrome comes in later with Reborn, Bianchi, Ken and Chikusa bearing food. Tsunami had already fed but picked from the food carefully avoided Bianchi's "treats".

Reborn watches the group interact with each other. Bianchi was just now learning about Tsunami's being and was exploring her ears. Shini was answering Bianchi's questions about their family. Everyone thoughts were far away from tonight's fight.

* * *

The peace and happiness ends when the sun had set. Reborn gifts Tsunami with special clothes created by Leon. The clothes looked like the Namimori school uniform. Tsunami kisses Leon and the chameleon returns the affection with a sticky tongue to her cheek.

"You're now as ready for the final battle as we can make you."

Tsunami lifts Reborn into her arms and nuzzles his face. Not that Reborn needed it, but when Tsunami embraced him, he felt a great sense of calm wash over him. He peers into her eyes and sees confidence and determination. This battle was for her family and that was assurance enough for Reborn to believe that his student will succeed.

Tsunami and her group walk to the school together. Upon reaching the school they are met by Basil. Basil greets Tsunami with a hug. Tsunami purrs and returns the hug. Basil had finally gotten in contact with his master. He and his associates were unable to leave Italy. With the Vongola Boss hospitalized in Japan, someone had to keep the Vongola under control. Basil looks Tsunami over. Tsunami was mostly human now. Her face was clear of the frowns of stress and worry. Basil was worried though. Will Tsunami have the restraint and concentration to fight Xanxus? It made her powerful and frightening, but that will only work on Xanxus once. Before Tsunami there were three other candidates. Before Cradle, many of the highest ranking officials were in favor of Xanxus. Did Tsunami have a chance?

Tsunami pulls Basil's face forward and rests her forehead against his. They stare into each other eyes and Basil relaxes. Suddenly, he was questioning his doubts. Tsunami did have a chance, and looking around her, she had many supporters behind her. He will continue to support her as well.

A bright red light flashes over the neighborhood! It came from the school! Hurrying to the school's entrance they find the air hot and steamy. The steam came off from the hot heat from the center of the courtyard mixing with the cool, autumn air. The boiling steam came from a figure in the center. It was Xanxus! His eyes were dark with hate. He locks eyes on Tsunami and his face twists into a repulsive sneer. Tsunami growls low within her throat.

The Cervello leap between Xanxus and Tsunami and looks amongst the group carefully.

"We were waiting for you."

"The Sawada Guardians…Sun, Rain, Mist…and Storm," the Cervello remembers that Hayato was a cat. "Have assembled. Good. As for the Cloud…"

Tsunami looks to the side. Kyoya appears from between the buildings.

"All livings guardians are required to be here tonight," said the Cervello.

As they spoke the other members of the Varia arrive. Levi was wheeled in by wheelchair by a Cervello. The Varia Lightning was slumped with drool hanging from his lip.

"Holy shit, what happened to that guy?" Shini shouts.

"He fought against Lambo and the boss stopped him," Hayato grumbles.

Shini looks closely at Levi and gasps, "Tsunami! You used Soul Paralysis on a human being!?"

Tsunami growls something to Shini.

"…Oh, never mind then."

Beside Levi was Belphegor carrying Mammon within a birdcage wrapped in chains. There was a whining gasp and to Ryohei's surprise and others, found that it belonged to Lussuria, strapped upright to a mobile bed. He was belted up with several straps over his body.

"All that is left…is the Lightning Guardian from your side," one of the Cervello looks to the Vongola candidates.

"…He ain't gonna be here," Shini announces simply.

"We already have sent Cervello to acquire…"

"He. Ain't. Gonna. Be. Here." Shini insists. "My big sister ain't gonna allow it."

Everyone pales.

"Er…Tsunami-chan's mom is with Lambo tonight, right?" gulps Takeshi.

"And you bimbos are gonna try and take a little child away from my sister…who is a %100 of what Tsunami-chan is! %100 animal! You guys is dumb!"

* * *

At the Namimori hospital, Nana was reading beside Lambo's bed. Lambo was asleep with a small smile on his face. Nana looks up from her book and smiles. She was so relieved along with Ipin and Fuuta that Lambo was definitely doing well. Nana left the other children to be watched by Bianchi. The lights go out in the room. Nana blinks several times to adjust her eyes to peer through the darkness. She stands and goes to the hospital door. She hears the staff hurrying about, checking on patients with flashlights. One nurse approaches Nana and assures her that everything was fine and tells her to stay in her room.

Somehow the power has gone completely out. Not even the security cameras were on. All guards went to the lower levels to watch every exit. Nana is on alert and quickly moves back inside. She goes to Lambo's side and pets his afro. There wasn't a storm and this hospital wasn't an old building. How could the power gone out that even the cameras were shut off? Was it those baby snatchers she had heard on the news awhile back?! She hears the door open and close. She barely had a chance to look when she felt a presence. She ducks and turns upon a young woman, wearing black goggles. She smelled a second woman as well. She growls and shields Lambo with her body. The two women appeared surprised that Nana had dodged an attack.

"Leave right now!" Nana warns. "I'm only going to warn you once!"

The women didn't heed her words and both move at the same time. One to attack Nana while the other moved around the bed to grab for Lambo…

A frightening shriek rattles the window…

* * *

Xanxus was pacing like a tiger in a cage. He stomps, snorts and growls. The Cervello and Varia wisely placed some distance between themselves and the man quickly losing his patience. It had been half of an hour and there had been no signs of the Cervello sent to fetch Lambo. Xanxus was about to lose his patience, when a Cervello tumbles into the courtyard. She was bleeding profusely from the cuts across her back, down one of her arms and her legs. Somehow her mask managed to get by unscathed in a near-death fight. The Cervello judges were stunned when the girl collapses at their feet. They slowly look to Tsunami and Shini. Tsunami slowly blinks indifferent. Shini shrugs with an "I-told-ya-so" look.

"W-we are unable to retrieve Lambo. The contest will continue without him. Master Xanxus…"

"I don't care! Let's get started already!"

"Why did you need Lambo anyway?" asks Hayato.

"The sky ring battle is an all-in contest, with the rings and lives of all the guardians staked on that outcome."

Lussuria chuckles, "Lucky, that little cow kid."

The Cervello proceed with final set-up for the battle. They asked for all guardians to turn in their rings. The rings were placed in two different containers based on each sides wins. From the Varia, the Sky Ring and Lightning Ring were placed in one container. The Storm, Sun, Rain, Mist and Cloud were collected in other.

The rules of the Sky Ring Battle were the same as the other battles. The two combatants will fight until one of them defeats the other and completes their ring. The entire middle school was their battlefield. Miniature cameras and giant display screens have been places for the spectators in different locations. Each guardian was given a monitor wristband equipped with a camera. The guardians were distrustful of the Cervello, assuming that they were on Xanxus' side but had no choice but to accept the bands and put them on. One Cervello was unsure how to give Hayato his wristband, but decided to slip the band over his head to be worn about his neck.

Takeshi plays with his wristband turning on the little TV. It was linked to Tsunami and he grins.

"You're in close-up, Tsuna-chan!"

Tsunami lifts her band in front of her face. She notices a smudge and licks the top of her hand.

"…so cute…" Ryohei blushes staring at his tiny screen.

The guardians were required to be placed in the fields where they had their battles. Before they departed, the boys formed their last huddle. Ryohei quickly makes a compromise with Kyoya to at least stay within ten meters of the huddle. Chrome would have liked to join, but this time, she was persuaded not to join by Mukuro; but stayed within ten meters. Takeshi and Ryohei link arms with each other and Tsunami. Hayato joined in by resting on Tsunami's shoulder. Tsunami stares at her boys and purrs with their closeness.

"All right! Let's do this!"

"TSUNAMI!"

"FIGHT!"

Takeshi quickly kisses Tsunami's cheek before breaking the huddle.

"See ya soon."

Hayato licks Tsunami's other cheek before hoping down and curling between her legs, "Later, Boss."

Ryohei kisses her forehead, "Good luck!" he gently cuffs her under her chin.

Kyoya and Chrome approach Tsunami once it was clear. Kyoya glares at Chrome before moving in front of her. He reaches out and pets her head before trailing his hand down to rub her pointed human ears. After getting a long purr from her he leaves for his field. Chrome leans in and pecks Tsunami's cheek.

"Be careful, Boss."

Tsunami mews softly. She watches her family leave her side. Once they were gone she immediately focuses on Xanxus. It was just the two of them now. She hisses at him.

"Monster! Murderer!" Xanxus accuses. "I'll kill you and put your head on a mantle!"

"Gwarrr!" Tsunami replies.

From a far, Reborn, Ken, Chikusa and Shini were joined by Colonello and Shamal. The mafia doctor looks over Tsunami.

"I heard about last night," he glances at Xanxus and sees the bandage plastered across the side of his face. He whistles at the damage. "I hope that she doesn't disappoint tonight!"

The display screens flash on showing the guardians in their designated areas. In their areas was a tall three-legged pole that had satellite dishes at the top. It was informed to them all that their rings were placed at the very top, which was a good 30-foot high above them. The guardians were to fight each other for the rings.

"A rematch, huh?" Belphegor grins pulling out his knives. "I like it!"

Hayato waves his tail and growls at the prince. If this is what it is, he was in big trouble!

There was sharp sting into his neck. Hayato jumps letting out a screech. Belphegor and the other guardians also felt the sting. Instantly they all fell out unable to move.

"The guardians have just been injected with a poison through their wristbands," the Cervello announces. "This poison is called Death Heater. It attacks the victims' nerves, quickly rendering them helpless. They feel as if they're on fire, with the pain slowly growing until after 30 minutes they will die."

Tsunami trembles and whimpers hearing that her family was in danger of dying in such a short amount of time! Xanxus finally smiles, pleased that Tsunami was disturbed.

"The sky is influenced by the sun, lightning, storm, rain, mist and cloud. But it is their boss' duty to understand and lead them." The Cervello continues. "In this battle, that has simply been made unequivocal. Each boss will determine whether their guardians live or die. There is a way to save them – place the appropriate rings into their wristbands. Once the ring is placed the wristband will administer an antidote. Once you manage to gather all of the rings, you may place them on this chain."

A Cervello approaches Tsunami cautiously and hands her a chain. Tsunami takes the chain and was able to slip it over her neck. She growls at the Cervello and the woman hurries away from her, without turning her back to Tsunami.

"One last thing…"

Both Tsunami and Xanxus snarl.

"O-once the battle begins there can be no interference from non-combatants." The Cervello looks to Reborn, "That includes special shots."

Reborn nods his head, "Understood."

Tsunami jumps and looks back to Xanxus, but the man was within her range and he strikes a fist across her face. Tsunami is thrown across the field and into the school with an awesome crash through the wall!

"Master Xanxus! The battle hasn't started," protests the Cervello.

"You've wasted enough time!" barks Xanxus. "Besides, I merely prevented her receiving a special shot."

"Totally unnecessary."

Leon was crawling around Reborn's fedora. Reborn had made no attempt to fire a bullet!

"Let me tell you something. Before I even arrived to train Tsunami, she had been tapping into the power of flames while training to be a priestess. The first time I fired a bullet at her, was her first real taste of her flame that was forced out her because of the shot. Overtime, she had received shots in a series of successions. Something happened last night and Tsunami has gained a new ability of her flames through her strong spirituality…"

BOOM! Tsunami leaps out of the rubble on all fours. She heaves in air deeply, making her shoulders rise. She lifts her head and her eyes flash orange along with the flame on her head. Behind the orange blazing eyes was a red background. She transforms again with furry arms and legs. Her shoes were stretched off and her woolly thigh-socks transform to accommodate her foot paws and claws. What was incredibly different about her was from her shoulder blades wings sprout through her shirt and vest! Specially made by Leon, the shirt and vest managed to allow her wings to sprout without ripping apart, merely moving aside. Tsunami didn't become wild, despite her appearance she was still in her right mind. She stands onto her feet and flaps her wings experimentally. She snorts and her socks become metal leg gauntlets. Along with her flame and leg gauntlets, the beads on her wrist were glowing.

"Hyper Dying-Will Mode + the full moon…Meet Night-Sky Mode."


	19. Chapter 19: Man v Beast

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 19: Man v. Beast

Tsunami's throat visibly vibrates from a growl. Her wings fold over her shoulders, draping around her like a cape. Her jaw opens and shuts as she was ready for battle. The Cervello urge the non-combatants to leave the field. The Cervello were eager to get out of the way of the two dangerous fighters.

Xanxus the ruthless leader of the Varia and Tsunami the winged monster.

"The Sky Ring Battle Xanxus and Tsunami Sawada will begin now!"

Tsunami dashes on all fours, taking the offensive. She attacks Xanxus from the side. Xanxus swings on her and she dodges. Xanxus throws his elbow and it is caught within Tsunami's claws. Her flames flare up to soften the blow. Xanxus' strike was followed up by a kick, catching Tsunami in the gut. Tsunami barks and she was thrown away. All this happened within a minute. What incredible speed! Tsunami turns herself about to land on her foot paws against the wall of the school. A great cracked dent explodes into the wall on Tsunami's impact. Like a coiled spring she leaps away from the wall. Tsunami stretches out her foot for a kick. Xanxus manages to grab her by her ankle. A flare of menacing light gathers in his free hand. Tsunami was in a bad position. Her wings snap open and with a flap she moves her position above Xanxus. She had dodged in the in nick of time. Xanxus fires a huge blast of red flames. He blows a massive hole into the school creating a singed, neat hole.

"Flames of Rage," mentions Reborn.

Tsunami hisses and with her foot scraps her claws over Xanxus' wrist causing him to release her. She flies away and lands on the side of the school. Tsunami observes Xanxus from a far.

"You should be afraid, you monster. The Flames of Wrath were first used by the second generation Boss! Your ancestor, the first, retired from the Mafia and fled to Japan because he was afraid to fight the second! His flames were the most devastating of all flames! Now I wield them!"

Tsunami releases her grip on the wall. She allows herself to fall to build up speed before catching herself on the wind with her wings. She flies around Xanxus, searching for an angle to attack him. She swoops down heading towards Xanxus' front. Flames surround her legs. She draws her knees into her chest, preparing for a double kick. Xanxus was casting another fireball in his hand and he shoves his hand out. Tsunami kicks her feet out and there was a great blast. The force of the blast nearly knocks the spectators off their feet. Reborn grips the edge of his fedora.

Xanxus was the one that was knocked of his feet! After their flames connected, it was Tsunami's flames that canceled out Xanxus' infamous Flames of Wrath. Tsunami follows after the cancelation and kicks another double kick to his chest. Xanxus crashes into the school. Tsunami lands on all fours, tucking away her wings. Tsunami snorts and shook herself. From her crouched position she gallops on her four paws after Xanxus. Just as she was getting close she stops, digging her claws in to slow her momentum. She flattens her body close to the ground as a shot of flames fires from within the school. Leaping to the side, she receives a graze over her shoulder making her hiss. Another blast clears Xanxus of the debris. Xanxus lands on his feet. He was now carrying twin pistols. The pistols were worn, but well cared for.

"Damn bitch…of course to kill an animal; you need a weapon instead of your fist."

"Those pistols belonged to the seventh generation boss. The Flames of Rage and those guns make for a formidable combination," said Reborn.

Tsunami tilts her head keeping one eye on Xanxus and checks over her wound with her cheek. Leon's special uniform armor held up, but it still had hurt. She rolls her shoulders before launching forward. Xanxus is annoyed by Tsunami's persistence. Tsunami uses her hands to slash at Xanxus. He leaps over swing of her claws by using his flames through the pistols to launch him into the air. Tsunami follows by leaping from the ground after Xanxus. When Tsunami was at his level, Xanxus points one of the pistols at Tsunami.

"Die!" he demands and fires.

For a brief moment, Tsunami's eyes leave Xanxus to something behind her. Instead of dodging, she deflects the blast with her leg gauntlets. She kicks the blast away and its grazes across the roof of the school's gym. Tsunami flies to the roof and peers down. If she hadn't redirected the blast, it could had atomized into the gym and possibly killed Chroma and even the Varia Arcobaleno!

"Boss…you…nearly hit me!" cries Mammon.

Tsunami glares at Xanxus and chatter her teeth together in irritation.

"So, you have enough sense in that animal brain to continue to protect your guardians. Either you're territorial or stupid? What do you gain by protecting them?"

Tsunami's ears twitches as she hears most of Xanxus' guardians begging and pleading for him of all people to save them. They make desperate promises to do anything for him. Xanxus roars with laughter at their pleas.

"You see! They all serve their sky!"

His pistols shine and Xanxus points them into two directions. He fires and takes down the Storm and Mist poles. The poles collapse, tumbling down clanging and banging. The rings bounce onto the ground and roll by chance within reach of the Varia! Belphegor and Viper reach out and cured the poison in them. They were quickly on their feet.

"So, what are you going to…"

Tsunami tackles Xanxus in mid-sentence. She knocks him over the school roof's railing. As they fall, she punches him several times across his face. Flapping open her wings, she completes the fall down barrage with one of her powerful double kicks. Xanxus coughs up spit and he feels his stomach lodge into his throat! Tsunami buries Xanxus into the ground. Xanxus croaks and it evolves to a rumbling growl. Xanxus lifts his pistol and shoots rapidly at Tsunami. Tsunami pushes off of Xanxus and flips away from him. Reborn was smiling with delight.

"What the hell!?" Xanxus roars.

"Tsunami isn't too worried about her guardians. She knows that many of them can take care of themselves and knows that they safe. Another bit of trivia of your opponent, Xanxus. Tsunami can track her guardians and their state of being by their souls. It would appear that two of them are doing fine."

Belphegor was on his feet. He looks around for the helpless cat, Hayato.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty~!" Belpehgor snickers. "I'm going to make you pay for embarrassing the Prince. I'll skin you and turn your guts into wires! Then, I'm going after the Rain…he also needs to pay for sending Squalo to his death!"

Belphegor searches for Hayato's little body. He begins to wonder if Hayato had already been killed, getting crushed by the poles.

"Is someone calling me?"

Belphegor freezes. Turning around he is nose to nose…with Hayato back in his human form. Hayato grins, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. One of his eyes was gleaming brighter than the other. Belphegor was gone out of his sight hobbling on one leg as fast as he could. Nekomasa wanted to pursue the Prince but Hayato reminds the cat that there were others in danger of dying. Tsunami was counting on them to keep them safe as she continues to concentrate on Xanxus.

"How is that possible!? How is Hayato Gokudera standing as well?" question the Cervello.

"That is a good question!" Colonello wonders aloud.

"Hmmm," Reborn was smirking, "If I have to take a guess…I say when Hayato returned to normal, the cat spirit inside him must have gotten rid of the poison for him."

Belphegor fled from Hayato. There was no way the Prince could face that monster cat boy alone. He needed allies. The only ally capable was Mammon. He had to get to that baby if he was going to survive this! He also keeps in mind that the Vongola had them outnumbered. The odds needed to be even. The Rain was near the area. Belphegor tenses and in a split second dodges a length of metal.

"You dodged that nicely," Kyoya compliments. "I heard that you're a genius."

"And how did you escape!?" Belphegor grins nervously. "Mr. Ace?"

"I will submit to nothing or no one."

Kyoya was powerful, but unlike Hayato, he was an ordinary human. He could handle another human. Several dozens of knives float around the Prince dancing on his invisible wires. Both boys move towards each other. Belphegor's knives spread out and are thrown towards Kyoya. Kyoya deflects the blades and dodges them. The knives he dodged dig into wall. Kyoya moves and feels a cut across his cheek. Belphegor throws more knives behind Kyoya making more anchors. He waves his hand and the wires tighten around Kyoya. Kyoya tries move but becomes more entangled in Belphegor's dangerous web. His clothes and skin are being cut through. His tonfa fall from his cut up hands as he goes down well. He bows his head as he pants. He was quickly loosing blood. With the great Hibari weakened, Belphegor throws his knives. Kyoya snaps his hands up and catches all six knives between his fingers! He examines the knives and the wires attached to them with great interest. Tossing them aside he stands with his tonfa in hand. Hitting the buttons on both weapons, a small compartment opens and chains with claws at the end slip out and hang. Kyoya spins the chains and knocks the wires down. With the area clear of Belphegor's trap, Kyoya makes an attack on Belphegor. Belphegor moves out of the way and the spinning chains cut into a wall, like a buzz saw through wood. Kyoya was not human! He was a monster just like Hayato! Belphegor quickly flees again. Kyoya slows down his chains. After Belphegor left, he wobbles on his feet and leans against the building. He was still losing blood. The perfect looks up into the sky. Tsunami and Xanxus were back in the air battling out. With a huff, Kyoya continues through the school.

Xanxus was increasing his speed. Tsunami's speed was inhuman and she had done quite bit of damage on Xanxus in her last assault. While in mid-air, Xanxus drops a pair of magazines and reloads with another pair from a set attached to his belt. The pistols brighten up and Xanxus fires. The pistols fires a burst of shots in one go! Tsunami was above Xanxus when he aimed the onslaught. It was a direct hit as the burst of fireballs connect to Tsunami. Tsunami was hit hard. She falls limp as a ragdoll and hits the ground! Xanxus lands on top of one of the school's building. He smiles seeing her body lie unmoving. But it quickly turns upside down. Tsunami moves, she sits up and coughs. Her vest was completely destroyed but it more than likely saved her life.

Tsunami takes a deep breath through her nose and lets it out. She holds out her paws, touching her index fingers and her thumbs against each other forming a diamond. The flame on her forehead flares out. Sky flames stretch away from her becoming a flashing beacon.

"Oh no!" Basil gasps.

"What is she doing…releasing all those flames," Shamal was shocked.

"She's wasting them!" Colonello grits his teeth.

Tsunami breathes steadily. Deep from her mind, her rational thought had penetrating through her animal instincts to keep attacking Xanxus. She wills herself to calm down further to use the technique taught to her by Reborn. The flames flash in a steady pattern. He laughed when he had seen her expel vast amounts of her flames out. His amusement dies as he recognizes the technique she was performing. On recognition, he panics!

"Oh, no you don't!"

He shoots off the building falling down towards Tsunami. Sensing him, Tsunami leaps out of the way of a dangerous drop kick. Xanxus was on her tail, he wasn't going to let her get far this time! He upper cuts her chin with one of his pistols! Tsunami tries to regain her balance in the air with her wings; Xanxus swiftly swoops behind her and grazes one of her wings. Tsunami had to land back on the ground. Her injured wing quivers. Fighting through the pain, she raises her paws again and tries the technique again and the flames flash insistently.

"DISAPPEAR!" Xanxus rages.

He fires another barrage of fireballs. The fireballs bear down on Tsunami. Tsunami stops her attempts and grabs the seven colorful beads on her wrists and snaps them off!

_Lam!_

_Vam!_

_Ram!_

_Yam!_

_Ham!_

_Om!_

_Ng!_

Each bead glows and expands.

The fireballs are on top of her!

The spectators shield their eyes from the great flashes of light. The flare was so great that it grabs Hayato's attention. He worries for a second for Tsunami. Making a quick silent prayer that she was safe!

The blast was so great that cameras and screens were knocked offline. After a few anxious moments the power returns. The image shows several scorched indentions on the school's field. It was devastating. The camera searches through the smoke and locates Tsunami. She was still standing! The blasts were blocked by the whirling beads spinning above her. The beads had tripled in size, as big as a child's ball, and had protected her and the remaining piece of dirt.

"How…what….?" Shamal sputters.

"Wow! That's the power of the prayer breads!" cheers Shini.

"Prayer beads?" Basil questions to Shini.

"Prayers beads are one of the many types of holy weapons distributed and used amongst our clan. Each bead is infused with different chakra energies. There are seven types of chakra and when all are in use they can deflect both physical and spiritual attacks! Not only can they deflect they can be used to inflict damage."

Under the protection of the beads, Tsunami was continuing the technique.

"Almost there," Reborn urges. "Almost at the Zero-Point…"

Tsunami sighs and her flames flicker out. Her light is dead. Her leg gauntlets turn back into woolen thigh-high socks. Xanxus had been sweating when he saw Tsunami still standing. But when her flames and everything disappeared he allows himself to laugh and gloat.

"She's done!"

He lifts his pistols…

A soft breath escapes Tsunami. A soft glow appears as a dot on Tsunami's head. Taking a deep, deep breath and exhaling life bursts from the glow and her flame is alive again. Night-Sky mode was back again!

"Tsunami's Point Zero Break was a success," affirms Reborn.

"Reborn, what is this Point Zero Break you wanted Tsunami to achieve?" asks Colonello.

"Tsunami has become the opposite of death-peration. A sort of a minus state. If a regular, neutral state is point zero death-peration, and her flame state is her plus state, then the death-peration point zero break is the opposite of that minus state."

"She has less than no death-peration?" Shamal was incredulous.

"BWA HA HAH HAH! THIS IS HILLARIOUS! You've completed the technique…but it's useless!"

"What does he mean, Reborn?" asks Basil.

"In order for the technique to be used against Xanxus, Tsunami would have to absorb his Flames of Rage. But, there could be a problem. Tsunami's body may or may not be able to absorb the destructive power of his flames."

"Then what's the point of all that training?" Basil yells. "If there is a possibility of failure!"

Shini grabs Basil's head and squeezes it between her knuckles, "What are ya' panicking about, fancy-talker!? That's my niece! She can handle it!"

Tsunami's prayer beads flare in time with her flame.

"This is interesting. Shini?" Reborn looks to her.

"Well, if what you're saying about needing enough energy to absorb, perhaps Tsunami is drawing energy from the beads. The beads draw energy from Tsunami of their respective chakras. For as long as Tsunami has been wearing those beads, they are constantly absorbing her spiritual energy. It's like a bank. As the energy sits within the beads, it increases like an investment…"

Tsunami's hands, forming the zero-point break, make a slight adjustment. Tsunami turns one of her paws for the thumb to touch against the knuckle side of her index.

"It looks like the blood of the Vongola is rising."

"Along with the blood of the Tejinaka!" Shini grins ferally.

Tsunami's eyes turn darker. Her flame flashing increases in speed when the technique was modified. Xanxus is unimpressed. He knew what the Zero-Point Break truly was and Tsunami wasn't doing it! He fires his pistol for thrust and he delivers a kick. Tsunami narrows her eyes and a bead moves and blocks Xanxus' kick. Another bead moves after the first bead and flies into Xanxus' gut. Xanxus is thrown back.

"The control! She's controlling two techniques at the same time!" Shini was bouncing on her toes.

Xanxus begins trying to shoot Tsunami at several different angles. But with every shot fired, a bead stood in his flames way like an automatic system, following in a counter to attack Xanxus. Tsunami keeps her focus on reaching zero-point. Shini senses something and peers closer.

"Ahhh!"

Basil and Shamal were startled.

"What, what!?" they demanded.

"With every attack Xanxus fires, the beads are absorbing it and transferring it to Tsunami!"

Xanxus fires down and takes off into the air. Once in the air, he charges up his flames. The flames gather so large that the red flames lit up the entire school making as those the end of days had fallen upon the earth. Tsunami gazes up and glares at him. From the moment he had met her, not once had she shown fear. Not once! Someone this stupid shouldn't live any longer!

"I'm ending this right now! FAREWELL!"

Xanxus ultimate attack was unleashed. Tsunami would not survive this attack. She couldn't be able to absorb that much power! The incredible ball of flaming hate touches the ground and bursts. It was the largest explosion yet. The air turns as arid as a desert! The ground sizzles and crackles from the heat. Xanxus settles onto the ground.

"So much for the Sawada candidate!"

Tsunami appears behind him! She had dodged it! She twirls into a kick, her foot blazing. Xanxus' blasts off.

"ARRRRRR…YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BIT…"

Tsunami was in Xanxus' face. She flips backwards and kicks him under his chin! Blood filters between his teeth. Xanxus is back on the ground. Looking up he sees Tsunami dive bombing on him. She spins herself about and kicks out a wave of flames. Xanxus defends himself from the flames and while distracted, Tsunami appears behind him again and strikes out with her foot. She was faster than before, faster than Xanxus!

"Damn you!"

Another barrage comes after her. Tsunami is consumed by the storm of fireballs. The fireballs shrink revealing Tsunami wrapped in a bubble of Sky flames. Thanks to the beads she was able to absorb that attack!

The golden flames changes in color, becoming red like Xanxus. Tsunami snarls, slightly influenced from the rage.

"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!?" Xanxus went mad.

Tsunami was in front of Xanxus instantly while bringing up a knee to meet his face. Xanxus barely raised his arm quick enough to block the knee. But the power and force of the blow throws his arm back. She follows the flow, turning around with her other leg and clips Xanxus under his chin. Xanxus coughs up blood with his eyes sent backwards to the back of his head. He flies over the field and into the school.

"You saved my bacon," Takeshi presses the Rain Ring into his wristband.

"I won't have dead bodies lettering the school grounds."

"…Geez, lighten up…you also…" Takeshi grins and stands up, "don't want your 'pet' to be sad."

Kyoya looks over his shoulders and stares at Takeshi. Kyoya decides not to agree (aloud) with Takeshi's very true statement and walks on. His feet twist up and he falls against the wall.

"…Hey, you okay?"

"Fine…I'm…"

"…Kick back, Hibari. I'll take it from here," Takeshi squeezes his baseball bag.

Hayato finds Ryohei and cures his poison with the Sun Ring. Ryohei thanks Hayato. Hayato has Ryohei take it easy. It was going to take a minute or two for the antidote to get through his system. He leaves Ryohei and also has the Sun Guardians to help Lussuria. Ryohei had stared at Hayato's compassion, but the bomber insists that it would have been what Tsunami had wanted, with a blush across his face.

He continues on to find Takeshi. He was the last of their guardians that would need to be cured. He hears footsteps and sniffs the air.

"Yamamoto!?"

Takeshi runs out from around the corner and nearly bumps into Hayato.

"Gokudera!"

"How?"

"Hibari. He said he didn't want to clear up any dead bodies."

"Hmph, whatever."

Takeshi shows the cloud ring and his own in his head, "He looked pretty beat-up, but you got to admire that guy."

Hayato had his ring, Ryohei's and Lambo's. He came upon the unconscious Levi before finding Ryohei. There was only one ring left…and that Chrome was at the gym! They race to the gym. By the time they get there, they were out of breath. Hayato smell the blood seeping out. Takeshi was in bad shape with his wounds and eye patch. He was healed, but he just got his human body back. Nekomasa warns they couldn't do anything too big. They enter the gym, finding nearly half the roof on the floor. The pole was down.

"Where's Dokuro!?"

"Shishishi, over here~!"

Hayato clicks his tongue in annoyance.

'_**We should have taken that kid down earlier**_,' growls Nekomasa.

'Wouldn't have mattered, Nekomasa, we would still have to deal with the baby illusionist!'

Chrome was being held as a hostage between Belphegor and Mammon. She was tied up around the arms hanging from the basketball hoop.

"Hand over your rings or I'll skin her alive," Belphegor grins in excitement.

'_**That's not an empty threat**_,' grumbles Nekomasa. '_**They are assassins**_.'

Hayato curses. Nekomasa was right. But, at the same time, even if they give up their rings, those two bloodthirsty, heartless Varia may kill her anyway.

"I guess you win then." Takeshi holds up the Rain and Cloud ring. "Release her, and you get all the rings."

"What!? Are you stupid!?"

'_**Wait! Boy! Let's see what happens**_!'

"First, I'll give you the Rain and Cloud rings…if you give her antidote to the poison. Do that, and I'll trust you with the rest of the trade, how about it?"

"You forget who's in control here!"

"Do it, Bel! We want the rings." Mammon urges.

"Fine. You stay there and roll the rings over to me."

"The antidote," Takeshi reminds the prince.

Belphegor starts the countdown. Takeshi holds the rings in his fist. Belphegor holds the Mist Ring to Chrome's wristband. Hayato's ears twitches, hearing the antidote being administered. Takeshi flings his wrist rolling the rings. Takeshi steps on a piece of debris and begins to fall forward.

"Whoa!"

A steely glint appears in his eye.

'Shigure Soen Ryu…Form Three…"

His baseball bag slips off his shoulders. The bag was open for him to quickly draw his sword. He kicks the bottom of the bag and fires his sword out. It flew across the gym and cuts into Belphegor's shoulder. Takeshi follows his sword and picks up to hold it under Mammon's chin. Belphegor holds his shoulder whimpering and cursing.

"Hmph. Good think I was careful. You've been in my world the moment you stepped in here."

The gym fills with Mammons.

Hayato blinks and slowly he curls his lips, "**Is that so**?"

Belphegor, uninjured, freezes.

"Bel, what's wrong?"

"That voice! Is that monster!"

"What?!"

Takeshi looks at Hayato. There was a yowl and Hayato climbs up Belphegor's back. He clings to his shoulders, biting and scratching. Belphegor screams and drops the Mist Ring. Hayato pounces on the ring and climbs up Chrome's body. He reminds himself to apologize for clawing up her bare skin. He touches the ring to her wrist. The bastards didn't cure her the first time! Chrome gasps in relief. She slowly opens an eye.

"Kitty…"

"That's…Gokudera…" Hayato pants and he falls over.

"Gokudera-kun!" Takeshi calls.

"I see. So, he's one of those cats. Those magical cats that can perform illusions. He wasted it by trying to help this girl! Stupid," Mammon sneers.

"Kufufufu, you think so?"

It was Mammon turn to freeze in horror. Mukuro stood before him, as a ghost!

"Mukuro!"

Tentacles wrap around Chrome. Chrome cries out. Mukuro narrows his eyes while retaining his smirk.

"Stay back! You all care about this girl! I'll tear her limb from limb!"

Mukuro's aura rises and the air's temperature sinks. There was a flash from the corner of everyone's eyes.

"MAXIMUM CANNON!"

The gym's walls are blown over! The rest of the roof falls down over them. Mukuro sighs when the destruction ends. The debris did not harm to his ghostly body. Mukuro floats in the air with his arms cross. He looks in Ryohei's direction. Ryohei's arm had healed. That's good. Ryohei digs through the rubble and finds Takeshi who had grabbed Chrome and protected her. Next the two athletes search for Hayato's tiny body. With a sigh, Mukuro possess Takeshi and helps him locate Hayato and unearth him. The cat meows tiredly. Mukuro leaves Takeshi and watches over the group. He shrugs to himself. Oh, well. They were all safe and those two Varia slipped away.

"SCUM…LOUSY…ROTTEN SCUM!"

Xanxus had struggled out of the school. He sees Tsunami waiting for him! Across his face his old scar had spread across. Half of his face was one scar. The scar covered over his face like a fleshy mask. His hands were also blanketed with scars along with his fingers.

"YOU'RE TOO MUCH TROUBLE!"

Tsunami crouches in a defensive stance. One would think all his previous attacks were his most powerful. But Xanxus' rage and frustration grew along with his desperation; his power continues to climb higher! Was there any limit to his rage?

"That's the rage for you."

Reborn, Shamal and all the spectators turn to the voice of a hoarse woman. Turning around Shamal and the Cervello were stunned.

"W-what!?" Shamal gaps.

Dino was with Romario who was pushing Squalo in a wheelchair.

"He's alive…wait…" he looks Squalo over.

He notices the smooth, white neck under the thin bandages. Following down her chest, he notices the curves under the bandages and dark overcoat she was wearing.

"Squalo Superbi…is woman!?" Shamal shivers.

Squalo lifts her head. She doesn't pay attention to the panting Shamal. She focuses her attention on the screen.

"Why hath thou brought her here?!"

Romario glances at Dino. Since discovering Squalo's true gender and saving her. Dino had never left her side while she was in the hospital. It was as if he had fallen under a spell. Romario had begun to worry. His worry for his boss proved warranted when Squalo asked Dino to bring her to the Sky Ring battle.

"She asked me, I couldn't say no," Dino admits.

Reborn glances as his former student for a second. Learning that Squalo or Morgana was a supernatural creature. He asked Tsunami many questions and did research. Selkies were fae-folk; fairies or changelings. Selkies were similar to mermaids. Men fell instantly in love with these creatures for their ethereal beauty. Female supernaturals have this natural spell; Tsunami had explained it was call allure. Tsunami had this when she was in heat. Allure was magically enhanced pheromones that are naturally given off. The females have no control of it, but they are aware that they have it and most species use this to their advantage, may it be benevolent or not.

"Idiot," Reborn breathes under his breath.

At least Romario was wary for his boss' sake. Romario had a gun pointed at Squalo's back. Squalo gave no acknowledgement to the weapon. She stares up at the screen. Her rose-pink lips smears to a grin.

"That's it…That's it…" she sees the wild animal expression on her leader's face. "Let the rage take you…and fulfill your unbounded ambitions. That rage is why I followed you…Alpha…"

Xanxus drives himself towards her. Tsunami moves towards him and greets him with a foot to his face. She clenches her toes and her claws scrape over his face. She shoves a blast of raging sky flames. Xanxus plants his feet and takes the blow!

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!?"

Tsunami puts distance away from Xanxus. Xanxus fires super-charged double shot streaks of murderous blaze.

"DIE!"

Tsunami prepares to the modified Point-Break she sense that the situation was wrong and bolts out of the furious path. Xanxus was approaching her like a freight train. Tsunami holds her ground and breathes. The beads floating around her move behind her making a clear path. Xanxus threw his pistols away. Their hands clutch together and they stare each other down as they try to overpower the other. Tsunami growls in challenge. Xanxus presses down on her. Tsunami's red bead, Muladhara, presses into the base of the spine. Tsunami roars and it rings through Xanxus' ears. She pushes Xanxus back, with great strength she uses Xanxus' strength and lifts herself off the ground and kicks Xanxus into his chest.

Light flashes and there was a great explosion. The screens frizz and flicker for moment before settling again. Smoke filled the screen and it took an agonizing long time for it to clear. There was figure standing. It was Xanxus. Basil wilts. Squalo smiles.

"Look closely," Reborn assures Basil, "Look at Xanxus' hands."

"My God!" yells Dino.

Xanxus' chest and arms were frozen. The ice was formed from the kick to his chest and grew away from his chest and down his arms to over his hands! The ice form icicles over its surface. Xanxus stares down at his trapped limbs in visible shock. Squalo loses her smile.

"It can't be!...It's the same..."

"Tsunami achieved the 1st Generation's Point Zero Break," Reborn was smiling.


	20. Chapter 20: Acceptance

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 20: Acceptance

Xanxus stares at his hands. He could barely move his torso. He couldn't believe it! It was impossible for this animal of a girl to use this ability. She was just an animal! A weak animal!

"You're not doing this! Scum like you just can't do this!"

Tsunami watches him with an impassive expression. She watches him like a cat watching life through a window.

"Wipe that look off your face! This isn't over! It's not over!"

Xanxus flexes and twists his body. He bends back at the waist and drops down. He hammers his iced hands onto his knees. Tsunami's ears flatten as she tenses. Xanxus was still trying to fight, bashing his hands on his hard knees, trying to break the ice. The icicles stab into his knees, becoming stained by the blood.

"I have ten in my name! Twice in my name! I won't give up! Not to you! Not to a monster animal scumbag like you!"

Xanxus charges at Tsunami.

"I am the Tenth Generation of the Vongola!"

Tsunami waits as Xanxus comes upon her. She struck her knee into his stomach, making him drop to his knees. Tsunami stands over him. Though her face showed no emotion, deep inside her human mind, her heart and soul reached out to Xanxus.

'Xanxus.' Tsunami thought.

She lifts her foot paw off the ground, balancing stiffly on the other foot paw. Her paw opens with its toes and like a hand she grabs his shoulder. The ice grows and climbs over his body. Xanxus screams in horror.

"STOP IT!" Squalo nearly jumps out of her chair.

'Why? Why are you…' Tsunami shakes her head within her mind.

Xanxus' body is completely entombed in ice. Tsunami pulls his half of the Sky Ring from the ice. She connects the halves together and it was complete. The battle was over.

Squalo gazes up at the screen in disbelief. Her Boss…her Alpha had lost. She knew that girl was trouble, but she believed Xanxus would defeat her. But, he lost, and Squalo had been unable to help him…again!

"Let me out!" Squalo screams.

"No," the Cervello turns down Squalo's demand.

"Victory has not yet been determined."

"I don't care!"

Tsunami yelps as her legs give out making her fall to the ground. She was panting hard. Use of the Sky Flames, absorbing and using Xanxus' Flames of Rage and controlling the prayers beads had taken its toll on her body. The beads fall to the ground returning to the size of marbles.

"Now's our chance~!"

Levi and Lussuria appear on their feet and full of health! Lussuria moves to attack. Tsunami spares Lussuria a glance. She doesn't budge or tense. She snorts and turns her gaze away. She was unfazed. Lussuria and Levi disappear.

"I'm impressed…but I say you're about done!"

Mammon pops out of thin air, floating above Tsunami. Tsunami continues to pant, her tongue nearly rolling out. Her flame flickers and wavers. Seeing that the monster girl wasn't a threat, Mammon turns to his boss. From under his cape he holds out his hands. He had all six rings! When Ryohei had brought the gym down, he and Belphegor scrambled for the rings while Tsunami's guardians protected each other. Tsunami's ring surrounds itself with fire. Tsunami stares down on it. Her vision was becoming blurring and she felt a foreboding feeling.

_Fire. Blood. Pain._

Tsunami squeezes her eye shut as her head spasms. Unbeknownst to her, Sahasrara the indigo bead glows.

_Xanxus is wearing the Sky Ring on his finger. The six rings from the guardians shine brightly and send their flames into the Sky Ring. Xanxus rises to his feet. He laughs in madness as his power soars and then…_

Tsunami's eyes snap open as the ring in her paw is yanked out of it. Belphegor holds the hard-fought ring at the end of his knife. He passes her and approaches Xanxus. Tsunami whines and shakes her head.

'No…No! Don't! Don't do it!' Tsunami screams.

Just as she had seen, Mammon uses the six rings' flames to melt down the Point Zero Break ice. Xanxus' body hits the ground with a thud. His body was at its limit as well. Belphegor grins as he holds the ring out to his boss.

"From the fraud to you, Ninth Generation's direct descendant~!"

Xanxus shakily reaches of the ring. Belphegor helps him, taking hold of his scarred hands and puts the ring onto his finger. Mammon brings the rings and slips it onto Xanxus' chain.

Tsunami could hear her guardians approaching, they yell out her name, but her real concern was for Xanxus! She digs her claws into the ground and pulls her body across the dirt.

"Oh Vongola treasure," Mammon pulls the chain into the sixth ring. "Grant this blood your great power!"

'Oh no!' Tsunami cries in despair.

Like her vision, the six rings glow and transfer their flames into the Sky Ring on Xanxus' finger. The Sky Ring comes to life. It fills Xanxus' up with power, raising the man to his feet.

"POWER! I am charged with infinite power!"

He laughs in madness as his power soars.

"YOU WANTED PROOF AND HERE IT IS! PROOF THAT I AM THE TRUE HEIR! NOW BOW TO…"

A splash of blood jets out of Xanxus' mouth. Xanxus gasps and screams in excessive pain. He falls for what could be the last time onto the ground. Mammon and Belphegor didn't understand what was happening to their boss.

Tsunami knew. The rings were alive. She'd sensed it when all seven connected to the Sky Ring. She felt disgust and anger from the rings themselves.

Reborn understood what was happening as well, "The rings have rejected his blood."

Xanxus's body trembles and twists within. It felt as if his body was set on fire! He yells again. It was unbearable…until, he felt something warm press against his shoulder. Looking down he finds Tsunami leaning against him. Mammon and Belphegor prepare to defend their boss…

Tsunami's eyes flash and she stares them down using the Alpha's Gaze. They stood unmoving out of fear. She leans closer into Xanxus and using her uninjured wing she covers him with it.

'_Xanxus_?'

He hears Tsunami's voice calling him from inside his head.

'_Xanxus_.' She calls him again.

"Get away from me," his voice was hoarse and it gurgled from the blood in his mouth.

Tsunami's soul blankets over him. She calms the spirits of the rings and the pain goes away. Her soul enters Xanxus to seek out his soul. Her soul finds the furious red of Xanxus' soul. It was hot with anger and hate. It nearly hurt to touch it, but Tsunami connects her soul to him.

'_Xanxus. I know that you and the Ninth are not related. Even now, I'm seeing you when you were a little boy. You lived with your mother in a very poor neighborhood.' Tsunami laughs softly. "You were cute…and you were a special boy. You had a flame. Your mother saw this and took you to the Ninth. She claimed that you were his. Grandfather claimed you. And you believed him. As you grew up, you got a bit cocky…actually, you were very cocky.'_

_A scene when Xanxus was a teenager shows him having gotten into a fight with candidates from branch families. He felt that he was above them, being the heir to the Ninth._

'_You were full of pride and felt that you needed no one. Then…one day…you discovered the truth. You found out that you weren't his son by blood. He adopted you out of curiosity of the flame you held. You also found out that those not of Vongola blood are forbade by Mafia law to be an heir.'_

_Xanxus tears Timeteo's study a part as he rages over his father's betrayal!_

'_You decide to take your fate into your own hands. You drew people towards you…'_

_Xanxus meets Squalo at a party. Squalo appeared to a short-haired boy. She was tall and slim. She saw Xanxus as a powerful alpha male. He brought out her instincts to follow him._

'…_Ah...!'_

_Next, Xanxus and his guardians attack the Vongola Headquarters! Xanxus was determined to topple over the Ninth and recreate the Vongola in how he saw fit. It was the Cradle Incident that had been mentioned some nights ago. Tsunami watches as Xanxus reached the Ninth with Squalo close behind. It was a brutal battle. Squalo was taken out of the fight, leaving Xanxus and Timeteo, son and father, facing each other. Both looked worn. There were bleeding cuts, burns and bruises. _

"_Why?" Timeteo shook his head. "Why are you…?" He looked like he would cry._

"_Shut up! You know better than anyone!" Xanxus spats._

'_You went against him, but he didn't kill you. He'd put you sleep, putting you under the Zero Point Break…Don't you think…he might've of been trying to stay true to his role as your adoptive father? That blood ties don't matter!? That he really thought of you as his son!?'_

_Her soothing soul wraps around his soul and tightens gently, like a hug._

'_Don't you suppose…he actually loved you?' she whispers._

'_SHUT UP! DON'T SAY THAT!'_

_Tsunami and Xanxus stand in the middle of an inferno of rage. They stand facing each other. Tsunami solely concentrates on Xanxus' soul as the flames burn her clothes. The flames burn away Xanxus' clothes. He is naked and all his scars are exposed. From his face down to his feet, scars crisscross and streak over his tan skin._

"_Maybe he loved me…SO WHAT?! What use is that to me?! My sole desire was to be the next boss of the Vongola! All Vongola should worship me! All should praise me!"_

_Tsunami shakes her head. She takes a deep breath and her flame sputters. She blows out a fog out of her mouth. The flames around her are then frozen. Xanxus becomes afraid and steps back as Tsunami makes her way to him. Xanxus' flames are being covered in ice. Tsunami stands in front of him._

"_Look. I can understand being upset with your father for not telling you the truth when you need to hear it…"_

"_You understand!? You understand nothing!"_

"_Yes! I do understand! My father has lied to my mother and me! Left her with me for nine years and all of the sudden he comes back into my life and dumps the responsibility of being an heir to the Mafia! I don't even want the job!"_

_Xanxus was stunned._

"_What!?"_

"_I told you at the very beginning I didn't want it! I didn't want to fight you and your crazy guardians! The only reason why I fought was to protect those who I love, including your father!" She pauses for a breath, "Xanxus, you said that you want people to worship you and praise you! You wanted to be accepted for who you are. That was why you wanted to take over to remake the Vongola. You just wanted to be accepted." _

_Reaching out a hand she puts it on Xanxus' chest above his heart. Xanxus shivers. Two pairs of red eyes stare into each other._

"_Look at me Xanxus, this is the real me!" Her soul becomes her true form; wings, ears, fangs, claws and all. "I was afraid of myself. I didn't accept myself. But, I had family that had accepted both sides of me, bat and human. Last night, I found out that the Ninth accepted me for who I am from the time I was a little girl. Even each of your own crazy guardians has found something about you that they like and would follow you through hell! If you want someone else other than the man that betrayed you…let someone like me accept everything about you. Let me find ways to praise you…"_

_Tsunami's arms slip around his waist. Her wings also fold over his shoulders._

"_Xanxus. You have been angry for too long. I'm sure you're tired of being angry. You need to accept who you are and after that things may change. Let's rest."_

_The remaining flames of rage are snuffed out by ice and the ice dissolves into snow floating around them._

* * *

When Tsunami opens her eyes wasn't at the school. She was in one of Kimiki's rooms. She was sleeping on top of something warm and firm. Whatever she was lying on was too hard to be a futon. Tsunami opens her mouth wide, fangs twinkling in the soft amber lighting in the room. Her biological clock told her it was night again. She had slept since last night. Rising up, she looks down. Her second layer of bedding was actually Xanxus. Tsunami didn't look surprise. Her ears twitch as the sliding door of the room opens. Shini enters. Tsunami chirps at her aunt.

"Good evening, hero!" Shini was beaming.

She sits by Tsunami and they exchange nuzzles between their cheeks. Shini brushes through Tsunami's hair.

"Ya' know it was hard to care for you and Xanxus when you wouldn't let go of him. Even while you were unconscious, if Xanxus was pulled from you, you were rather nasty about it. You tried to bite Shamal's hand!"

Tsunami rubs her paw over her face, trying to wipe off the embarrassment. Tsunami lays over Xanxus again and squeaks.

"What happened? Oh! Here's the short story version…right after you past out, Phantom Baby and Tiara snapped out of your gaze and tried to attack you. But your boys had your back, no big surprise there! They were told to back down but they had backup on the way. For once, those Cervello Sisters were on our side and tried to help by letting us out of that damn lightshow cage. But we couldn't get out because Phantom Baby rigged it! So your friends were on their own…but a surprise guest star appeared. Remember the dude with the ball and chain?"

Tsunami's eyes widen. Lancia!?

"Yep, Lancy…or whatever his name is had taken out the backup! All 50 of them! That even the odds and the Varia finally got the hint and backed down!"

Shini pets Tsunami's hair.

"It's all over now. So, may I ask what are you going to do with him? Reborn said that the Varia will be punished."

Tsunami growls and clings to Xanxus. Shini arches a brow. She smirks and shakes her head.

"Geez, such a greedy girl you are!" she ruffles her hair.

Shini shoves Tsunami, yanking back her hand from a playful swipe of Tsunami's claws. Your boys are doing okay. Since the fight is over I tried to heal that big guy with the chain from his nose…Tsunami, his soul is in teeny-tiny bit. I couldn't put his soul together. Calm down, calm down…there is still hope for him. I called dad. He's on his way to help him heal. I told dad the biggest lie I have ever told! If he finds out the truth one day, I'm pointing fingers at you, ya' here!?...Here's what I told him…"

Shini's story: Timeteo decided to visit the Sawada after nine years. He brought his son, Xanxus, who also invited along the trip his close friends. While riding in a limo, a big family secret was revealed and Xanxus attacked his father out of pure rage. A fight ensued and the driver somehow got knocked out and lost control of the vehicle. This caused serious damage to the entire party. The cause of the secret getting out was a spirit that had possessed Levi. It was stubborn and refused to come out. Tsunami had no choice but to use Soul Paralysis to exorcise the troublesome spirit. Especially since it was foreign and Japanese chants weren't enough. Levi's soul was left shattered due to Tsunami's inability to fix his soul up.

"Tsunami, I think we are a family of Nana's. Even the smartest of Tejinaka can be gullible if the story is realistic enough to them and you tell the story with conviction." Shini sighs.

Tsunami would keep that in mind.

"My thing is…how are you going to keep this guy?"

Tsunami didn't appear too concern. She simply rests her head on his chest and sighs.

* * *

Timeteo woke to see a face he hadn't seen in a long, long time.

"Buiiro-san!"

"Hello, Timeteo-san," the man in the dark kimono smiles. "If I wanted to see you again, I wouldn't want to have seen you in a hospital. You've gotten older! I didn't think you could get any older!"

Timeteo chuckles, "And you, 'old' friend, have hardly changed. There is more gray in your lustrous mane."

Buiiro grins for a moment then become serious, "I heard from my daughter that your own son did this."

"….The blame lies on me. I hadn't been honest with my son. He found out that he was adopted, when he prided himself that he was of my own flesh and blood. I have hurt my son badly."

Buiiro shakes his head. "Your son had no right to attack you. He could be mad at you…but to attack you and cause a car accident that got you and his friends hurt? He was in the wrong."

"Well, at least I know how Iemitsu feels now."

"What do you mean," Buiiro frowns.

The elderly Italian smiles sadly, "To have a child you love hate you."

Timeteo closes his eyes and tears stream down his face. Buiiro takes his old friend's hand and holds it in both his hands in silent comfort.

"Tsunami doesn't hate the idiot completely. Deep down, she loves that fool…way, way, way down in her heart. Your son is probably the same. His love for you may have shrunk…but it's deep in his heart. Just give it time, Timmy."

* * *

Shini was able to pull Tsunami away from Xanxus when she told her that there was a surprise waiting for her. In another room, three children were climbing over the tall form of Lancia. Lancia was sitting on the floor allowing the little ones to use him as a jungle gym. Much to Tsunami's delight, the third child was Lambo with Ipin and Futa. Lambo was the most excited. Lancia blushes seeing Tsunami's delighted expression. He yelps when Tsunami pounces on him, joining the children in play. The kids and Tsunami squeal as Lancia struggles against the largest "child"! Shini pulls out her phone and records the scene.

Lancia grows tired quickly. Tsunami was still feral, she only just started! Lancia collapses on the tatami mat floor. With their toy unresponsive the kids move on. Tsunami snatches Lambo up for a second. She purrs and kisses his cheek. Lambo giggles and pulls her ear before he was released to chase after Futa and Ipin. Tsunami crawls next to Lancia and purrs. Lancia looks up at her, his eyes trace over her ears. He had been surprised…but he always had this suspicion that Tsunami was more than she appeared when he had first fought her. Tsunami drops herself onto him making him cough. Grinning mischievously she crawls over him and kisses his cheek. Lancia clears his throat and turns his head.

'_Thank you for helping, Lancia-san_!'

Lancia's eyes widen and he stares at Tsunami. Tsunami grins back and chirps twice.

"Y-you're welcome…Young Lady Vongola!"

Tsunami sniffs his neck and gives it a lick.

"Wha-what…what…what are you doing?!...AAAH!"

* * *

Shini returns to find a flustered Lancia with Tsunami curled into his side. There were two holes in his neck. Shini gets Tsunami to revert to a complete human form and to dress up, not giving Lancia a chance to give them privacy! He had to scramble out of the room before her top came off. Tsunami was dressed in a long black sweater that covered down over her hips. Under the sweater were navy blue leggings with stars and planets going into a short-heeled brown suede boot. Shini even did her hair up in a side ponytail in a white scrunchie. Tsunami chirps questioningly.

"There's another big surprise and you should look nice for its!"

Shini takes her, Lancia and the children onto the street. Kimiki waves them off. She assures Tsunami that she would take care of Xanxus and make sure he doesn't run away.

They arrive at Takesushi's, Takeshi's father's sushi restaurant. Tsunami smells her friends behind the door and she slides it open, stepping in.

"Welcome Tsunami-chan!" Tsuyoshi greets with a great grin from the kitchen opening. "Ahhhh~, you're so cute! If only if I was in my son's shoes!"

"Pop!" Takeshi complains.

Hayato bounds between the legs of the party and curls himself around Tsunami's ankles. Tsunami crouches down and lifts Hayato off the floor. The two purr and rub faces.

'Congratulations, Boss," he mews. 'It's officially the stupid cow's welcome home, but unofficially we're celebrating our victory!'

Tsunami rubs his fur around his neck and feels something metal around it. Moving aside his long fur she finds a chain with the Storm Ring attached. Looking up she sees that all around her guardians had their rings as well.

"Hibari's was sent his. Here is yours," Reborn holds the box with the remaining Sky Ring inside.

Tsunami growls at it as she uses Hayato as a shield against it. Dino laughs and pets her head.

"Hey, watch out," Shini hisses, "My dad and Nana are getting close!"

Neither Dino nor Basil had met Buiiro before. As far as they knew about the man or bat was he was the head of the clan and had been alive for over a hundred years! They were made aware that Buiiro scared of the Vindice. Iemitsu had shared with Basil his opinions of his father-in-law; selfish, a bully and "the-old-bastard-that-turned-his-daughter-against-him"!

"Hello, everyone!" Nana was cheery.

Buiiro smiles as he looks around the room. Tsunami had earned more friends! They were all happy, covered in smiles. Each one approached his daughter and he could feel the love and warmth from Tsunami's soul. Her soul was so beautiful. Buiiro also noticed that her soul was linked with her friends' souls. Her bond with them was very strong. Looking closer, he finds that the thread linking many of them together was red. He gaps, earning stares from his daughters and granddaughter.

"Papa?"

"Dad?"

"Mew?"

Buiiro blinks and refocuses on Tsunami. He grins nervously and scratches behind his head.

"Um, it's nothing. It's nothing!"

He makes a surprise sound, when a girl takes hold of Tsunami's hips and kisses her cheek from behind.

"Kweeiiiiiiiie?!"

'So, that's where she got that strange sound from,' thought Reborn. 'Sounds even stranger from a 100-year old man-beast.'

"You! Girl! Get your hands off Hime!"

"Now, now, Gokudera…" Takeshi waves his hand.

"Hahi!" Haru gasps, "Tsunami-senpai!? You're into girls?! That's so cute!"

"You two do look adorable together," Kyoko agreed.

Nana squeals grabbing her face. Shini shows her big sister and the girls a picture of Chrome kissing Tsunami, mouth-to-mouth. They went crazy! Hana had turned to stone from the shock.

The night goes on as if the fighting the last few nights had never occurred.


	21. Chapter 21: Home

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 21: Home

When Xanxus woke up days later, Tsunami was right there within his sight. Ready to lay down some ground rules.

Both Tsunami and Buiiro wanted to help Xanxus and Timeteo. Buiiro felt Tsunami was suited to help Xanxus to control his anger. Tsunami was becoming strong on her spiritual journey. He was very impressed that she tapped into her beads within days of receiving them. Buiiro was confident that Tsunami could handle the volatile young man within her own home.

Timeteo was touched by Tsunami and Buiiro's plan to help Xanxus. Since, the Varia was to be under supervision, receiving their punishment; Xanxus would stay with the Sawada. Buiiro stresses Tsunami's insistence to help Xanxus and being indebted to the girl, Timeteo agreed to leave Xanxus.

Xanxus had no choice. His guardians were sent away back to Italy. He had no connections in Japan. He was alone and had to depend on Tsunami.

Tsunami's guardians had very mixed individual feelings on this arrangement of the man that had every intention of killing Tsunami!

Hayato voiced his concerns strongly. To ensure that Tsunami stayed safe, Hayato used his cat form to stay in the household to make sure Xanxus didn't stab her in the back. Hayato kept his eyes on Xanxus. He stuck to Tsunami like glue, following her everywhere through the house! Those times were broken up when Nekomasa got bored and wanted a change of scenery. Nana knew Hayato was a cat. Her nose told her so and she knew of Nekomasa. Nekomasa and Nana were friends.

Takeshi had been surprised. He asked Tsunami if she was sure that she could handle Xanxus. Tsunami confirmed her decision to help Xanxus and the baseball was satisfied. For the first few days of Xanxus living with her, he visited everyday…even joining in on one of their sessions.

Ryohei thought it was extremely awesome! Ryohei had faith in Tsunami's strength. She had beaten Xanxus once, she could do it again!

Kyoya also share Ryohei's confidence of Tsunami's capability to handle the Varia leader. He also liked the idea of a potential opponent to challenge. Tsunami quickly shot that desire down and made sure to keep the two males far away from each other. That would later prove to be difficult…

Mukuro and Chrome didn't care about Xanxus' presence. Both Mists guardians were developing strong feelings for Tsunami and she was increasingly becoming their focus. Mukuro's feelings had been small until Chrome's own feelings influenced his to grow. Much to Mukuro's amusement, Tsunami paying attention to Xanxus had made Chrome a little jealous. Tsunami accepted Chrome's affection and was learning to return affection to Chrome. Their romance was just budding and wasn't has strongly established as with her other relationships. It makes Chrome take every opportunity to show how much Tsunami made her feel with gentle kisses and cuddling.

Xanxus is taken to the Tejinaka shrine for their meditation sessions. Xanxus had been very skeptical and the first few times he didn't participate. Instead, he just found a spot on the floor and took a nap as Tsunami did the meditating. Tsunami was patient but wasn't going to give up on Xanxus' spiritual healing.

It was on one morning, when Tsunami had enough of being refused.

"Xanxus, want to join me for meditation?"

"No."

Xanxus had his back to Tsunami while lying on his side. His head resting on fist he glares out to the outside. It was dark and the morning light of the early morning could barely be seen. Tsunami pouts. Hayato would be growling at Xanxus for his insolence, but lately, Hayato had been busy. Xanxus was still a jerk! He had light bandages all over his body. The side of his face that still had Tsunami's cut still needed to be covered with a bandage. Tsunami growls at his back.

"Growl and bark are you want trash! I'm not going to…"

Tsunami pounces on him! Becoming semi-animal, just her claws and animal strength was summoned. Claws and skin scrap against the polished wood floor. Tsunami yips in pain and snarls in challenge. Xanxus yells and curses. He promises he would be successful killing her this time!

The sun brings light into Namimori. School would be starting in an hour. Tsunami is sitting in Xanxus' lap like he was a living throne chair. Her paws were resting on his knees. Her head and back is against his chest. Xanxus is in a cross-legged position leaning back on his hands as he stares at the ceiling. Their hair was a mess. Their clothes stretched, torn and singed. Tsunami looks up while Xanxus looks down. After staring for a while, Tsunami snorts and giggles controllably. Xanxus' lips twitches, resisting the impulse to smile.

"Trash…only you would get in a wrestling match with me!"

"I won too!" Tsunami grins in glee.

"Brat…" he huffs.

Tsunami calms herself, breathing in through her nose and slowly blowing out of her mouth. She giggles in between breathes but they eventually run out. Tsunami feels for Xanxus' soul and she links up with it. Her breathing pattern continues until Xanxus' breathing starts matching hers.

Tsunami fights Xanxus into submission several times. Sometime she wins. Sometimes Xanxus wins. There were even some draws. But the fighting wears Xanxus out and leaves him open to some slight manipulation.

Tsunami was the only person who would pick a fight with Xanxus on the daily basis. Xanxus had to admit she was really a tough girl. The Sky Battle wasn't a fluke.

Tsunami, Xanxus and the children are watching TV. An evening show the children enjoyed was on. Xanxus was lying across the couch. He yawns loud and wide. Nana appears behind the couch and hands Xanxus a bottle of beer. He nods and even thanks Nana under his breath. The kids got use to Xanxus' presence fairly quickly. Tsunami made sure Lambo didn't bother the man. The phone rings from the end table. Tsunami repositions Lambo and Ipin from her lap and reaches over to answer the phone.

"Tsunami, I want to help Morgana," was Dino's words right after her greeting.

"Help? Is everything all right, Dino-nii-san? Is Morgana okay?"

Xanxus frowns, 'Who the hell is Morgana? A girlfriend of the damn Bronco?'

"Morgana is fine. But, I just want to make things right for her. She was kidnapped and taken away from her family. Her coat. I have to find it for her!"

"Dino-nii-san, please calm down."

Tsunami thinks for about a minute, "Dino-nii-san…can I call you back?"

Tsunami ends the call and dials a number.

"Yo!"

"Shini."

"What's up?"

"Is Yoyori-ji abroad? Where is he right now?"

Dino receives a text message back and there was a number and a name: Tejinaka, Yoyori.

* * *

Yoyori was in Italy. He traveled the world as a doctor and veterinarian, learning and studying medicine and health for both patients. He also traveled the world for his spiritual duties. As the world evolved, Yoyori thought it was best to learn new ways to interacting with dead from all sorts of cultures. But, his stay in Italy wasn't for his two main focuses of study. Yoyori had been curious about Reborn since he met him the summer on the cruise ship. Yoyori was aware that Reborn was a part off the mafia. He was well known by many members that he had spoken to. He offered his medical skills to the public as a private doctor. He also did volunteer work as a veterinarian.

Yoyori managed to sell himself to members of the mafia. With his super hearing, he could overhear the dealings of the mafia. He could also hear phone conversations of patients waiting on him. Yoyori was well learned and years and years of traveling around the world exposed him to many languages by immersing himself into the culture's environment. Yoyori latched onto Italian rather quickly. His slight "handicap" of Italian also lowered many his mafia patients' guards. He learned that Reborn was a hitman. The greatest hitman in the world feared by his enemies and awed by his allies and most of his peers. Reborn was a hitman who works part-time as a middle-schooler's tutor. He later learns that Reborn also tutored other children. One of those children was now a young man that had just contacted him.

Dino Chiavarone was actually Reborn's student before Yoyori's niece. Dino was requesting his assistance in helping a supernatural creature regain her property that was stolen from her by a human. Dino wanted to help this female desperately and readily offered to provide Yoyori transportation and finances for his help. Yoyori accepts for two reasons. One, Dino was referred to him by his most favorite niece. A request through his niece was like a request from her own lips. Like Buiiro, Yoyori loved Tsunami very much and could rarely say no to her. Second, Dino was Reborn's previous student he tutored. Reborn had tutored Dino for years, from around Tsunami's age. Reborn turned Dino into a proficient businessman enabling him to save his family business from its financial troubles. But, under that businessman persona, he was mafia. Why were all these mafia congregating around his niece?

Yoyori was flown across Italy on the Chiavarone's private jet and picked up from the airport by one of their employees. The man was clean-cut and friendly, he looked like a normal civilian. But, Yoyori could smell the gun-oil and gunpowder from his skin. The employee was definitely mafia; the Chiavarone were definitely a mafia familgia.

The doctor-priest was received by Romario, Dino's closest assistant, who takes him to Dino's office within his home. Dino had returned from businessman meeting in another part of Italy himself. Dino greets Yoyori eagerly and explains his relationship to the creature that was missing her property. Her name was Morgana and she was a selkie. When she was young, about thirteen-years old, her coat was stolen by a man named Tyr. Tyr took her away from her home up north down to Italy. He kept her to himself under false delusions of love. Tyr died and took the secret of Morgana's coat's whereabouts with him to the grave. Yoyori was disturbed by the cruelty of this man.

"Chiavarone-san, do you know where Tyr had lived and kept Morgana-san?"

Tyr's home hadn't been touched in years. It was a mansion on a good-size property. To enter, you had to open the tall dark iron gates with the bars tipped with points to pierce into the sky. The mansion had two wings that were two-stories. The center of the mansion was three-stories. It was made up of dark gray stones with the windows and doors trimmed in black. As soon as Yoyori, Dino and Romario stepped within the gate, Yoyori shuddered violently.

"Tyr is here."

"What?" Dino was shocked. "He's still alive?"

Yoyori shook his head, "No, but his spirit is here."

Yoyori carried with him his medical bag in his hand and over his shoulder was long, slim bag that was nearly as tall as him.

"Wait out here."

"What?" Dino gaped.

"…You would be of no help against a spirit this powerful. You would be in my way. You've asked for my help. Let me do my job…..may I ask you a question?"

"Sure?"

"If I find out where this selkie's coat is, would you really give it to her? You may sound like you want to help her, but, once you get your hands on it, would you give it to her?"

"Why wouldn't I?!"

"You sound like you're in love with the selkie. Be careful that you don't fall too deep that you make a wrong decision."

Dino sets his face firmly, "I WILL give her back her coat! She's my friend! She's suffered enough."

Yoyori searches Dino's soul. It didn't waver. Yoyori the abandoned mansion and felt the ominous feeling within. Yoyori pulses his Soul Wave. It spreads out through the mansion. He picks up the soul of Tyr's location.

Tyr's soul was located outside in the back, in the garden. There was a wide stream in the back. It was deep and lush with trees and hedges. It had now become wild and took natural shapes and forms. He sees a glowing figure standing in the garden with a sword at hand. It was the soul of a man, very tall, a long and rectangular nose that Yoyori had seen on most Italians. The priest-doctor joins Tyr in the middle in of the garden.

"Sword Emperor Tyr."

Tyr's ghost turns to him.

"I've come to challenge you."

Yoyori sets down his medicine bag and opens the long bag. He stretches out his arm and it grows long and dark fur covers it. With his elongated arm he pulls out a blade. The blade was as long as Yoyori, not including the hilt. Tyr observes the blade and didn't miss how Yoyori was able to pull the blade from his bag smoothly, without struggle.

"You've come to challenge my spirit?"

"I came for answers."

"Answers?"

"Yes, I was hired to find the coat you stole from a selkie you've forced to be your lover."

Tyr smiles; it was a gentle smile. He turns his gaze to the lake of his backyard garden.

"Ahhhh, my Squalo. My feisty little shark. She was a glorious find. She was beautiful for one so young. I loved her and spoiled her. I put her in the best of schools. Gave her the best of everything, even took her as my only student. I thought she appreciated what I did for her. I thought she had learned to love me…"

Tyr's calm face turns into an ugly twist, "Then that ungrateful girl pointed her blade at me! Whether she intended die or kill, it didn't matter. I lost my hand to that other creature. I wasn't going to lose her! That was my downfall. I loved her too much to kill her…and I think she knew that and that was how she killed me!"

Tyr raises the sword in his hand and points it at Yoyori.

"Squalo would never return to the sea! She will stay on land and continue my legacy!"

Yoyori narrows his eyes. Tyr was a selfish, cruel human being. Morgana was a fae-being taken from her home, away from her family and possibly caused the death of a family member. Yoyori holds his sword in both his hands in a ready stance. Tyr charges. Tyr was Morgana's teacher. His sword techniques influenced Morgana's aggressive and wild style. However, his attacks were slightly refined. His powerful swings and jabs were amplified by his spiritual powers. But Yoyori stayed cool and calm. Yoyori lunges forward, thrusting the sword out. Tyr was confident that he wouldn't be harmed by the earthly sword. He was insubstantial! Tyr moves forward and the sword pierces through his center. He gasps as he feels his soul weaken violently. He yells as he pulls away from the sword. If he had a body, it would be trembling. He felt like he had shrunk.

"What…did you do to me?!"

"You believed that because you're a ghost that no weapon can harm you. This sword was forged by people in my clan. It has been blessed by the god we serve, making it a holy weapon. Plus, it has my soul energy over the blade. You're a spirit of darkness. You've bound yourself to this earth instead of passing of because of your heart and your selfish desire to watch over Morgana's suffering for as long as she lives. Tonight, that ends. I will release your soul from these grounds and Morgana will be free when I learn of where you hid her coat."

"Never! NEVER! Morgana is mine!"

The mansion shook with Tyr's rage. Dino and Romario felt the shakes from the very foundation. Dino moved to run inside, but Romario stops in time and begs his boss to trust Yoyori to do his job.

Tyr's spiritual rage made Yoyori brace himself against the pressure. The surface of skin felt like it was being burned. Gritting his teeth, Yoyori's eyes become red as he expands his soul to shield against Tyr's energy. He guards against an attack to his side having sensed Tyr's soul. Yoyori swings the blade. Tyr tries to dodge but the blade's reach was great and he receives another soul-withering shock. There was panic in Tyr's face. Spirits and ghosts like Tyr believe to be untouchable in their ephemeral state of being. They don't realize that there were a few people in the world that are trained to combat beings like him. With that, it wasn't too hard to defeat a ghost, especially a still fresh new ghost. Yoyori's sword is surrounded by the blue energy of his soul. It flares up expanding over the blade several inches wide. Yoyori charges and Tyr floats up into the air to avoid Yoyori's attack. Yoyori follows him into the air with a great leap and slashes Tyr's soul in half! Tyr screams in horror. He loses his form and becomes a tiny red ball of fire.

Yoyori catches the ball in his hand before he lands onto the ground. Holding the soul, he observes it. Tyr was a dark person. Yoyori felt disgusted holding Tyr's soul. He stabs his sword into the ground and with his hand free he pulls out a silver thread. Unraveling the thread of the soul, he goes through a flash life of Tyr's life. The Varia under Tyr's leadership was a dark one. It was said that Tyr took some side missions outside of the Vongola family in secret. Unfortunately, the Vongola couldn't prove that they did. But there were cases of families that included women and children were killed by unknown assailants. He sees the lives of women and children slaughtered and Yoyori grows angry. His anger rises to quiet fury when he reached the point of Tyr's life when he had come upon Morgana. Morgana was only a young teenager. Her brother, Bram, tried to save his sister but Tyr's right-hand man shot her brother. She had no choice but to be taken by Tyr. Yoyori had to close his eyes and ears so he wouldn't witness Morgana being "lovingly" raped by the delusional man, who thought he was in love with her the very first night he brought her into his home. He stayed with her for week. The Tyr in the memories remembered Morgana's coat. He couldn't allow the chance of Morgana finding. He had reviewed the legends of the selkie people and the fault in the escape of the selkie was the selkie would find the coat by chance in a basement or attic. Tyr decided to take the coat out of Morgana's reach. Tyr took a trip on his yacht alone with her coat. He sailed out far, far out into the Mediterranean Sea and in a suitcase…was Morgana's coat. Along with it were several heavy blocks. Tyr dumped the suitcase into the sea.

"You bastard…" Yoyori growls lowly. "You've dumped her coat in a very good hiding place. A place that she couldn't return to the sea without it…"

Yoyori squeezes the soul tightly.

"..._Whether I am here or there…Death always follows…Whether I am here or there…In death there are only two gates to go through…_"

Yoyori bit his hand deeply. He holds out his hand and squeezes the blood out of his hand. The blood dribbles onto the ground. The blood makes a tiny pool.

"_I am a Tejinaka. I am linked to the servants of Tzinacan, the bat god of life! I summon the gates of Hell!_"

The tiny blood pool on the ground stretches out over the floor forming rectangles forming rectangle within each other. The blood congeals and becomes dark and hard. With a wave of Yoyori's hand the floor opens like double doors and slams open onto the floor. Within the doors was a swirling vortex of a flaming inferno! Yoyori feels Tyr's soul pricking against his hand.

"Afraid are you?" Yoyori holds Tyr's soul over the vortex. "You'll get used to it. You have all eternity. There are several levels…you can make your way out of it to reenter the circle of life again. But hopefully, none too soon…and if you get the chance at another life…may you be a better person."

Yoyori releases Tyr's soul and it falls through the gates. The gates snap shut and in a burst of flame disappear. Yoyori's arms return to normal as he rummages through his medical bag and pulls out a pen and small notepad. Dino rushes into the room followed by Romario. Both men look around. The smelled something that was burning but there was no signs of a fire. Nothing was burnt. Yoyori gains their attention when he rips a sheet of paper from the notepad. Going to Dino he shows the paper to him.

"Those are lat-long coordinates," Romario peers closely.

"You'll find Morgana's coat at this spot. You may want to hire some deep-sea divers."

Dino smiles, "I am so very grateful to you sire! Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Dino reaches for the note but Yoyori snatches it back, "Since you're so grateful, I have some questions."

Dino was stunned, "Questions?!"

"I have heard that Reborn was your tutor before he came to Japan to be my niece's tutor. I am aware that Reborn is a hitman. He is well known among the mafia. Then, with Reborn comes all sorts of characters that seem to be a part of the mafia. These things are more than coincidence, in my opinion. Why are all the mafia-based characters surrounding Tsunami? I have been in Italy for a while a few names have caught my attention…Futa, the diviner linked to a planet. Sometimes the child performs requests by this one big mafia family, the Vongola. Then there's young Gokudera, my temporary assistant twice so far, who is known as the Smoking Bomb among mafia and has done small odd jobs. He along with his sister, Bianchi…and then there is you. I know you're mafia, Chiavarone-san."

Dino swallows.

"Why are you mafia gathering around Tsunami? What does she have to do with you all?"

"…It's simple really, sir…It is as you say, Reborn is a hitman. But, Reborn enjoys teaching young people as a side job. He has me taught me to be a leader to a new generation. He taught me the skills and confidence to take care of my family and I've managed to save them from financial ruin. Reborn had decided to expand his teachings across the world and decided to start in Japan and chose your niece. Reborn likes to pick his students who are deemed completely hopeless or not worth anything…but Reborn manages to polish them and make them in treasures. Tsunami is probably the rarest treasure yet. Reborn and I look forward to the finish product of her."

Yoyori had a surprised looked on his face. Hearing Dino speak so highly of Tsunami, made a soft smile grow on his face.

"Is that so? Teaching is merely a hobby of Reborn's…well, I should be honored that he sees that Tsunami had potential. Thank you and please continue to watch over my niece."

"I am her big brother," Dino grins.

Yoyori hands the note to Dino. "I'm counting on you to give Morgana her coat."

Dino takes the note and nods firmly.

* * *

Morgana was doing paperwork in Xanxus' office alone. She growls at the piles of paperwork. Dino was supposed to be here helping her. Since that idiot made himself her personal babysitter. Not that she was missing him or anything. It only has been two weeks. She was glad that the young man wasn't tending to her, treating her like she was some kind of treasure. Morgana knew that her enchanted allure was what was making Dino believe that he was in love with her. Honestly, he didn't act this way when he had thought she was boy. Well, that was only half true. Though Dino believed that Morgana was a boy, he wouldn't leave her alone. He had this unexplainable need to be close to her and become her friend, despite hold cold and rude she was him and everyone. Dino wasn't in love her she keeps telling herself. It made her mad at herself that she keeps reminding herself that Dino wasn't in love with her. What did she care?!

The door creaks open and speak of the devil enters Dino. Dino smiles at Morgana. He opens his mouth to greet her but trips and fall. In his arms was a round box, held together by a large ribbon tied in a big bow. When Dino tripped into the room the box rolls across the office and bumps into the front of Xanxus' desk. Morgana sighs as she stood up and walks around the desk to the box. Picking up the box she sets it on the desk.

"What's this? An apology for abandoning me without telling me where you were going?" she snarls.

Dino groans as he struggles onto his knees. He had fallen flat on his face. He touches his nose to check for bleeding.

"….It's amazing that your face managed to stay pretty despite how many times you've fell on it throughout your life!"

"Morgana…."

"Shut up! It's Squalo, dammit! Don't call me Morgana!"

"But…but that's the name your mother gave you…"

"That me died years ago!"

Morgana rips into the box, cursing and snapping. By the time Dino was on his feet, the office is quiet. No more cursing. No more ripping and rustling of paper. Morgana was looking into the box with her hands clapped over her mouth. Her body was trembling all over. Eyes had become watery and glossy with tears. Slowly, she buries her hands into the box and pulls out her skin. It was silvery gray, just like her hair with dark spots speckled across. It still had its silky, soft shine. She pulls off the glove over her flesh hand and caresses her fingers through the coat.

"….where…how…" she was breathless.

"I asked a family member of Tsunami's clan to help find it. Turns out that Tyr had thrown your coat out in the sea."

Morgana clutches her skin to her chest and embraces it tightly. Dino was at Morgana's side and he puts his hands on her shoulders. He presses his cheek to Morgana's smiling softly.

"I'm going to take you home, Morgana."

"…Take me now."

Dino pulls away surprised. But, seeing Morgana's face, Dino nods.

Neither of them told anyone where they were going. It was Dino and Morgana who left the Varia headquarters. Even Romario wasn't informed. Dino takes Morgana to the closest beach possible that was several hours away by car.

The sun was nearly set, only a sliver of gold that was flickering across the water. It was autumn, the sea made the air colder than it further inland. The waves rolled and slapped against the beach. As soon as Dino stopped and parked over the sand, Morgana stepped out of the car and stripped all her clothes off. When she was completely nude and unclasps the prosthetic from her arm. She pulls her skin out of the car and touches it to her skin. Morgana releases a shuddering sigh as she feels it against her. Dino watches all of this quietly. Morgana senses his eyes on her and turns to him.

"…Will you come back?" Dino asks weakly while smiling.

Morgana steps directly in front of him. With her hand she reaches out to his cheek. She guides him forward as she meets him halfway and presses their lips together softly. It lasts for a minute.

"Thank you," was her reply.

She sits on the ground and slips her skin on. It molds over her body, changing her fluidly. In a blink of an eye, she was leopard seal. Her skin fit her like a glove, despite that she was a girl when she last wore her coat. It slipped over her body of woman perfect. Except for her flipper where her missing arm was. That flipper hung limp. Dino crouches before her animal form. He reaches out and strokes her head. The seal groans and presses her head against his hand. Morgana quickly lumbers over the beach. She barks when the waves crashed against her body. Like a mother, the waves wrap around her and caress her reminding them that this was their child! Their child of the sea has come back to them. They pull her in and Morgana disappears under the sea and foam.


	22. Chapter 22: The Life of Squalo

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 22: The Life of Squalo

Tsunami was so very happy with her big brother, Dino. had learned of Morgana's return to sea from her uncle. She thanked him so much and kissed him through the phone. Later, Dino called her and he sounded happy, while also depressed. Dino had fallen for Morgana. Tsunami promised Dino that he would be rewarded for his great deed someday!

On Sunday, Tsunami received a text on her phone from an unknown number. It was a request for her to go to Take-Sushi at two o' clock. What was really odd was right after the first text a second one appeared half-a-second later: "Bring Xanxus".

It took a lot of pleading, begging and eventually a throw down, but Tsunami fought Xanxus out of bed, got him dress and dragged him outside.

"It's too early in the morning!"

"It's mid-afternoon, Xanxus!"

"…Still too early," he complains.

They arrive at Take-Sushi before two. Xanxus' mood improves a margin at the prospect of eating good sushi. He takes a seat at the bar table in front of the wide kitchen window where you could watch your sushi be prepped for you. Tsuyoshi was the station and greets them both. Xanxus returns the greeting with an order of fatty tuna and a beer.

"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-san! Sorry, about Xanxus!"

"Hahaha, aww, it's fine, it's fine. He has good taste and pays well! What can I get you, Tsu-chan?"

Tsunami orders a small portion of tuna with a soda. She and Tejinaka always find the reddest of foods and drinks appetizing and they were always delicious. Tsunami glances at her phone, just in time to see 1:59 turn to 2:00.

"Yo, Tsu-chan!"

Takeshi enters the restaurant in his gym clothes complete with jacket with his baseball bat carrier over his shoulder. He was very happy about something. His smile was all teeth and shown brilliantly.

"Tsu-chan! Guess who I just ran into outside!"

Takeshi moves aside letting two people in. The first to walk through was obviously a woman. She walked in wearing little clothing, though it was rather cool this afternoon. She wore high-quality leather skinny pants that clung to her long, long legs. Just to make her long legs a hint longer, she wore high-heeled black ankle boots. Her top was gray, clinging turtleneck under a cropped leather jacket. Her hair was silver-gray and long…

"What the hell?!..." Xanxus breathes.

"Ah?! Morgana!" Tsunami gasps.

"…Morgana?! That's fucking…Squalo?!"

Morgana smirks as she walks further into the restaurant. She takes a seat on the other side of Tsunami. Joining her side was a large but slim tree of a man! He was taller than Morgana, even taller than Xanxus. He towered over Takeshi…while sitting! His skin was of snow white, contrasting dramatically with short, ink colored hair. He had silky bangs hooded over his bright golden eyes. The back of his head shaved down off his neck and faded beautifully from skin to hair. Tsunami couldn't tell where the strands of his hair were because it was dark! It rivaled her grandfather's hair. He wore equally dark clothes, dressed just as light as Morgana. Tsunami supposes the cold didn't bother them. The man wore dark, puffy vest unzipped, showing his white tank top. His pants were slightly slim with heavy brown boots.

"What the fuck?!" Xanxus stood away from the bar. He reaches around Tsunami to grab Morgana. The dark-haired man's hand whips out and grabs his wrist.

The man's lip curls…showing off a long fang. Morgana speaks to him, in a watery-crystal voice. It was haunting and beautiful, though she spoke rapidly. The man responds in the same tone, with a touch of a rumbling storm at sea.

"Bram…" Morgana touches the man's hand.

'_Bram?...Bram_?!' Tsunami's face is filled with realization. "You're brother! He's alive!"

Bram releases Xanxus' wrist and speaks again to Morgana. Morgana sighs and speaks in gentle reassurance.

"I got a lot of explaining to do for you, Boss."

"You sure as hell do!...BEER!" Xanxus slams his fist on the bar top.

Takeshi later joins everyone downstairs. Tsuyoshi closes the restaurant and leave Takeshi in charge of the guests. He was off to purchase some wine, which Xanxus demanded to have and promised to pay extra. When he was gone, Morgana took a deep breath.

"Boss, I am like this girl. I am not completely human…."

"…shit…and you tell me that now…?"

"Though I wasn't human…at the time…there was no way I could have fought Tsunami in her feral state…especially without my coat. Besides, she was _your_ opponent."

Xanxus growls and throws back a beer. It was holding him over until he got some good Italian wine in him. Morgana takes a plate and places some fatty tuna on it. She places it in front of Bram.

"Sushi," she offers.

"….sushi?" Bram mutters.

Morgana speaks in their tongue and encourages her brother to eat. Bram takes one of the sushi into his hand, sniffs, licks…and pops it into his mouth. He speaks in amazement and pounces onto his tiny plate. Takeshi chuckles and decides to make more types of sushi for Bram to try.

"Coat?" Xanxus questions.

"I am a selkie. A magic seal. A long time ago when I was girl, Tyr found me and took my coat that turned me into seal and using its magic enslaved me to become his lover. My brother here tried to save me, but Tyr's right hand…you remember him don't you?"

"Hmph, yeah…it makes sense now why he would never take his eyes off you…and hated my guts."

"Morgana…"

"Sword brat!" Morgana glares, "It's Squalo! It's Squalo Superbi now. Morgana died when that asshole took me dammit! Besides, Squalo Superbi is my life now…the Varia and the Boss are my life now. I can't go back to the life I had. It was freaking boring. Don't get wrong…I was very happy to find my brother alive and I even caught up with my mother. But, that peaceful life isn't me anymore. I grew to love my new life after killing Tyr."

Tsunami and Takeshi look at each other.

"What was life like after Tyr? How did you survive being a part of the mafia?" asks Tsunami.

* * *

A fifteen-year old Morgana…or rather…Squalo stood over Tyr clutching her bleeding half of her right arm. She is covered in her own blood and his. Silver and red clash together as she pants heavily. Her sword had been dropped. Her knees join it as they hit the ground. Squalo stares down on the dying form of Tyr. He hacks up blood as he chokes and chuckles.

"You will stay on this land…and continue my…legacy…my…love…"

Squalo grips her limb, "…I…never loved you!" she spits on him.

"My…feisty…shark…" Tyr coughs for the last time.

Squalo spits on his body again. She looks out of the back garden at the mansion. Her coat had to be in there! But, now wasn't the time to search. Tyr was dead. They had fought for two days and someone would miss them by now after hearing no word from their boss. Squalo stands to her feet. She picks up the sword with her remaining left hand as she approaches Tyr's body.

"You want me to have everything…fine. I'll take it all!"

Ottavio, Tyr's right hand, had been trying to contact Tyr for hours and a day. It wasn't like Tyr to leave for long periods of time without informing him of his agenda! Boots were banged against the stony marble and a Varia assassin slides into the hallway. He spots Ottavio and runs to him.

"Sir! It's…it's…Squalo!"

"…He's here? Alone?"

"…." The man swallows.

Outside in the courtyard, Varia members stood outside staring. Some were in shock. Others were in awe. Squalo was approaching the entrance still covered in blood; her limb is covered by a torn cloth and in her hand…the dribbling, bloody head of Tyr. Ottavio stares at his boss' head. He doesn't take his eyes off it until it was dropped at his feet. Blood spits out of his neck and splatters over Ottavio's shoes. He raises his head and he sees the feral grin of triumph on her face.

"Mine. Everything and everyone is mine!"

Ottavio's heart flutters. He swallows thickly before bowing his head.

"Understood…boss."

Ottavio follows Squalo to Tyr's quarters. After entering the room, Squalo immediately attempts to undress herself. But she only had one arm and handling clothing was a little difficult. Also, her stub of a limb was still throbbing in pain. Squalo growls.

"Boss, allow me."

Squalo glares at him. Ottavio holds his hands up as he slowly approaches her. He was smiling softly. The eyes behind his lenses show his eagerness. Like his former Boss, Ottavio was being drawn to her by her enchanted allure. Didn't this man realize that he killed her brother…or she hoped that he just wounded him severely? That one hope that she held was above finding her coat.

'_Bram_…'

Fine, she would lull this man into a false sense of belonging. Then when the time was right…rip into him, as he did her brother! She had need of him for a while.

"…So much in a hurry to win onto my good side…?"

"If only I could do more for you," he offered.

'_I bet you would in more ways than one_. '

Squalo relaxes and nods. Ottavio stood in front of her, looking down on her as he admired her form. He reaches out and helps her peel off the dry and bloody shirt. Squalo pretends not to notice the lingering trails of his finger tips on her skin. It made her skin crawl and she resists trying to pull away from him.

She allows him to strip her down of her clothes down to the nude. The makeshift clothed bandage was also removed. Entering the expansive bathroom, Squalo goes into the glass cube of a shower and starts the shower. Standing under the showerhead, Squalo presses her forehead against the tile wall. The water wets the dried blood and it streams off her body into the drain. Ottavio waits on her, watching her through the glass until the steam muddled her details.

Taking over the Varia completely wasn't easy. Squalo killed the leader and by Varia rules she was the new boss. But there were many Varia of the older generation, from Tyr's generation, who didn't accept her. Everyday Squalo was stalked through headquarters by assassins that wished to avenge Tyr. Squalo's skill was tested time and time again. Swords, knives, guns…it didn't matter. Squalo thwarted their attempts on her life. Squalo killed every attacker. They would have been a nuisance and it was better to weed out potential backstabbers.

Out with the old, in with the new as they say.

Fighting old assassins did get tiresome. Ottavio shadowed her in his hopeless attempts to woo her. Squalo indulged her right-hand with tidbits of affection. It made him starve for more!

* * *

Squalo now could leave headquarters whenever she pleased with access to Tyr's incredible bank account. Italy was a beautiful country and it was close to the sea.

Squalo has Ottavio take her to the beach and leave her alone. Not to be tempted Squalo stood on a ledge high above the sea. She watches the sea lap over the sands and the foot of the cliffs. Squalo breathes out a shuddering sigh. She could feel the seas powerful energy. She wanted to dive in…devour it's power and be one with all the oceans that are linked…tears trickle down her face…

Squalo's feet were at the tip of the edge…

"STOP! DON'T DO IT ~!"

Squalo reaches up to her neck as a muscled arm slung over her throat and pulls back. She and whoever grabbed her fell away from the cliff edge.

"Sweetie! You have your whole life ahead of you! A gorgeous young thing like you shouldn't take her own life!"

"I wasn't going to fucking kill myself!" Squalo barks.

"…You wasn't?...Oh, honey I'm sorry…"

Squalo is released and she rolls out of her "savior's" arms. Turning towards him, she was shocked. It was a fellow teenager…that looked like he was on the verge of being a man…but…his outfit…and his hair. The man had tan muscled skin according to his face and arms and the rips of his jeans. He wore a cropped white shirt showing his impressive abs under a knee-length jacket. He had a silky Mohawk dyed in red with the sides of his head shaven except for some sideburns framing his cheeks and a fiery wave of hair hanging off the back of his head. He wore dark circular shades. She couldn't see through the dark lenses. The young man smiles and stood up. He juts out a fine boned hip and raises his right hand poking out his pinky. His nails were painted red. His smile dampens when he takes in the red around Squalo's eyes. He bends over her, with his hands on his knees, making them touch together.

"Honey, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" Squalo snaps.

The man offers his hand. Squalo stares at it before taking it. Despite the man's flamboyant actions he was very strong. He easily lifts her off the ground with a simple tug.

"What were you doing so close to the ledge? It could have given out and you would have fallen to your death."

"I didn't realize…I was so close…I was thinking of my family."

"Ohhhh~, honey…" he puckers his lips. "You can't go back to them?"

"It's impossible at the moment."

"Well, it's sort of impossible for me to go back. But, I'm sure my circumstances are a lot different from yours. C'mon sweetie, come have a drink with me."

"We're minors…I'm sure you're a minor."

The man giggles and twirls hand by his wrist, "I know a place that turns a blind eye…and they love me. Oh dear, where are my manners~?! I'm Lussuria."

"Squalo," she smiles.

"Ah, what a lovely smile sweetie! You're one pretty girl!"

"…VOI! How can you tell?"

Squalo moans as she rolls in a bed that was not hers. She rolls into body. Lifting her head she winces and presses her palm against her forehead.

"Ohhhh….." she groans.

Another groan joins hers. Lying next to her was Lussuria…with his shades still on while in the nude.

"Lussuria…?"

"I thought I told…ugh…to call me your big sister…"

"…You have a dangle…a big dangle…from what I can remember seeing of last night."

Lussuria giggles, "And you have adorable cuppies, honey."

Squalo growls and punches into Lussuria's side. Lussuria pulls Squalo into his arms and cuddles her.

* * *

Lussuria became Squalo's new best friend. Squalo visited Lussuria, going drinking and clubbing with him. They also got into trouble. Squalo learns of Lussuria's deadly prowess in Muay Thai and kickboxing. So, she offered him a spot within the Varia. Lussuria accepted, delighted to be by his BFF constantly!

Lussuria kept Squalo's gender a secret between himself and Squalo. Lussuria didn't get the complete story of Squalo's past, but the general, short version of Squalo's tale was that she was kidnapped by Tyr from her brother's care and was forced to be his lover. Lussuria became a little protective of his little sister and decided to become her stand in older sibling indefinitely. He certainly enjoyed cock blocking Ottavio. He was a handsome man…but he was the one that took out poor Squalo's big brother.

Most of those loyal to Tyr had been killed off by Squalo, Lussuria or Varia assassins that Squalo had gained loyalty from. The Varia that decided to be loyal to Squalo were young and were ready for a change. Especially young Varia children and other teens Squalo had picked off the streets. Squalo kept it hidden, but Lussuria could tell that Squalo had a soft spot for children. Squalo's maternal instincts were strong. She covers up her concern over the Varia children's welfare with cursing, yelling and beating lessons of survival and assassination into their little bodies.

Squalo was required to make a visit to France. Ottavio and Lussuria accompanied her. After business was conducted, Squalo and Lussuria decided to enjoy the nightlife.

Half-drunk and in a light mood, they were making their way back to their hotel. Squalo could sense that they were being followed through the light fog of the alcohol. Lussuria sensed it too, becoming louder and pretending to stumble about more. They lead their stalker into a dark alley. For a moment, Squalo thought they had lost their stalker.

Several glints of light caught her attention. She pushes Lussuria and herself against the wall.

"Shishishishi~!"

They both narrowly dodged a little child around seven or eight years old. Lussuria sobers up instantly and they take a fighting stance.

"AAAAAAGH~!" Lussuria screams, "My jacket!"

"Voi…at least you didn't get cut," Squalo notices the pristine blade in the child's hands.

"Squalo! This is a Prada! It cost me a fortune to get this tailor for myself! Look at this rip!"

"Lussuria…"

The child giggles and he was upon them again. With Lussuria still in emotional shock, Squalo shields him, deflecting the knife attack with her left gloved hand. The gloves tears and sparks fly. The child backs away. The smile on the his face was eerie. The smile took up more than half of his face. The teeth were gleaming and bright from dim-golden light of a lamp hanging on the wall of the alley. The child prowls around Squalo, seeking out an angle through his long, golden mane of curls. A hissy giggle and the child charges at Squalo again. Squalo waits…and side steps the lunging stab! She raises her left hand chops her hand on the back of the neck. Their attacker falls face first onto the ground. Lussuria and Squalo crouch over and roll the child over.

"Awww~! She's adorable!"

"Yeah, when she isn't trying to kill you…"

* * *

"What the fuck?!" Xanxus yells.

"Belphegor's a girl too?!" Takeshi gaps.

"…..come to think of it...Hayato did mention to me how he…I mean, she smelled like expensive aftershave…It had me fooled!" Tsunami tilts her head.

"She wore the aftershave to smell more like a boy," Squalo waves her hand. "Anyway, so that's how we found Belphigora. Princess Belphigora. Lussuria calls her Bella or Belphy when it's just the three of us having a girls' night."

Xanxus growls and picks up another bottle of beer, "Where the hell is your dad with the wine," he glares at Takeshi.

"Heh, it must be hard wine to find. Please, continue to wait on him."

* * *

Belphigora is taken off the streets and into the hotel. Ottavio is chased out of Squalo's room by Lussuria, leaving her to clean up their new charge. The warm, scented water awakened Belphigora. Belphigora tilts her head back to see Squalo staring down on her.

"What's up, kid?"

Belphigora pouts and folds her arms. But doesn't leave the wonderful bath or from Squalo. Squalo lifts her hands, the left one that wore a new white glove and she massages Belphigora's scalp. Belphigora purrs. Belphigora took to Squalo like a duckling taking to the first living figure they saw. Belphigora claimed to be a princess…but remembered very little. All she remembers was her twin brother…death…blood…and she had a little tiara that had been found buried in her nest of gold. She admired Squalo for her strength and was fascinated to learn that Squalo was pretending to be a boy and was leader of an organization of assassins. So enthralled by the danger of discovery, Belphigora was discovered the next morning to have chopped her pretty locks of gold. Thus, she became Belphegor, after the purchase of some new boy clothes and Lussuria fixing up her hair to a boyish haircut fit for a prince.

"When do you meet Xanxus?" asks Tsunami.

"Yeah! And how did you really just hand the Varia over to him? What happened to Ottavio?" asks Takeshi.

"VOI! I'm getting to it!"

Bram chuckles.

Squalo's presence was required of her by request of the Vongola. It would be the first time Squalo would see the Ninth and his family personally. The only contact she had with the Ninth was by phone, letter or computer. It was at this event, where other mafia families were invited was where she met Xanxus. Xanxus grabbed her attention, when he went off on a rage against another mafiaoso. His show of strength and power impressed her…and she felt drawn to him…

* * *

"Non-romantically…Xanxus just had this charisma that appealed to me."

Xanxus arches a brow, "Huh, so you weren't attracted to me?"

"Nope, sorry, Boss," Squalo smirks.

Xanxus looks her over and grins, "Your loss."

"HA!" Squalo throws back her head. "I know about that retched personality personally…and how you treat your women, Xanxus. I respect you…but I sure as heck don't want you as a lover!"

* * *

Squalo pledge herself to serve Xanxus and Xanxus accepted her. To further prove her loyalty, Squalo swore him two things. One, she gave him control of the Varia and two she swore never to cut her hair until he took over the Vongola.

Ottavio was not happy. Not happy at all. To him, it appeared that Squalo had fallen for Xanxus. Squalo gave her all for him. She was back on the field again and she loved it. She always went out on missions for Xanxus' sake. Either alone, with Lussuria or her protégé Belphegor who had expanded on her skills and became a deadly killer genius. Sometimes all three of them went on missions together. Ottavio now served Xanxus and he hated it. He hated Xanxus and wanted Squalo back.

Ottavio waited patiently. He was good at waiting and he found his opportunity when he learned about the coup. Ottavio told Squalo what he had done in his mad desire for her. Squalo then realized that she had created an obsessed man who was a danger to her boss. Ottavio tried to convince Squalo to let Xanxus take all the blame and to take over the Varia again so they could be together. She rejected him outright. Shocked and angered by her rejection, Ottavio tried to get rid of Xanxus himself, but Xanxus was too strong for him and he was killed. Ottavio's actions spurred the Cradle Incident.

"And you know the rest…of my life from there."

"What are you going to do now?" asks Tsunami.

"Like what I said earlier, 'I can't go back to that life…' the life that I had as Morgana. I'm corrupted by the mafia life," Squalo admits.

Tsunami bit her lip as her brows knit together. The mafia life corrupted Squalo. Would that happen to her?

Squalo laughs manically, "I love killing…and I wish to continue to serve Xanxus. He's my alpha and I will follow him…if he would allow me to do so."

Xanxus grunts and shrugs. "Sure. Somebody got to do the paperwork..."

"VOOOOOI! I'm not your damn secretary!"

Squalo notices Tsunami's distress in her faces. She reaches out and pinches her cheek.

"Hey! Don't think that you and are alike, bat brat! You're different. You're pure hearted. I allowed my heart to sink in despair and I had to rebuild myself up from that despair to a new person that you see now. You will be fine. You won't let the darkness swallow your light. You will fight tooth and claw to remain in the light."


	23. Chapter 23: Homerun

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 23: Homerun

Takeshi lies in bed in a long-sleeved gray shirt asleep. His head was lying deep into the pillows as he snores lightly. His brows touch together and he moans as he squirms under his bedsheets. Slowly he opens his eyes feeling strange. He felt warmer than usual and there was something on top of him under the covers. He raises himself on one of his elbows and lifts the blanket up. A pair of red eyes gazes upon him from the shadows of his sheets.

"Tsu-tsunami-chan?" Takeshi blinks several times.

Tsunami crawls over his body. He couldn't resist shuddering in pleasure feeling her body graze over his until she was face to face with him. Takeshi licks his lips. Her eyes lock on to his lips before looking back into his eyes. She tilts her and kisses him soft and gentle. From his lips she makes a trail down to his chin and pecks along his jaw line. Her claws comb up the back of Takeshi's nape of his neck. He loves it when she does that! It felt so good! Tsunami's knees are set at the sides of Takeshi's hip, drawing her hip close to flushing against his. Pressing her lips over the patch of skin on Takeshi's neck where she usually pulls blood from his vein she purrs.

"Tsu…na…mi," he whispers. "Ah!"

Her hips rock to and fro. He could feel the heat between her legs through the soft fabric of his pajama pants. The sensations on his neck and in his lap cause him to collapse. His head was swimming and he looks upon his ceiling without seeing. Tsunami throws her head back and she grinds her hips harder. Fangs flash in the dimness of his room. Her claws sink into his chest through his shirt.

"Tsunami…Tsunami…aaaaah…."

Tsunami looks down and smiles. Red eyes glow brighter and hotter.

"Takeshi," she purrs seductively.

Takeshi's shirt is pushed up to Takeshi's chin, revealing his toned torso. Her claws tickle over his tan skin and curl into the hem of his pants and pull…

"TAKESHI! BOY! Get up already! Don't you hear your alarm?!"

Takeshi gasps and sits up straight as a rod. His alarm clock was beeping indignantly. Takeshi scrambles and hits the button ending its tirade. He falls onto his back and presses the heel of his palms into his eyes. He groans and looks down his body. He was all stiff and wet.

* * *

Takeshi have been having these painfully arousing dreams since Ryohei had told him all the details of his passionate, physical connection to Tsunami. Ryohei had been very descriptive and it had (finally) awoken Takeshi's hormones. Baseball was his first love and gave his body release. But, as he grew closer in his relationship with Tsunami his body was craving a more pleasurable pastime than sports. Takeshi begs for the baseball gods' forgiveness. But Tsunami was so cute and sexy! Who knew that cute and sexy could be used together to describe one person! What was really driving Takeshi crazy and to his embarrassment was that Tsunami was very much aware of his newfound desires of her.

He knew that she knew!

Lately, Hayato has been busy. The Varia wasn't a threat anymore, Hayato now had to the time to learn how to live with a monster cat's spirit in his body. It appeared to be very difficult living with a spirit in your body and mind. Hayato begrudgingly left Takeshi to the task of watching over Tsunami while he was away to learn to control Nekomasa. He threatened Takeshi that he better not let Xanxus hurt her.

At first, Takeshi was happy that he had Tsunami's attention to himself. That was until the night before he was to pick her up alone. He had one of those hot and sticky dreams of her. The first time startled Takeshi badly! He couldn't believe the mess he woke up in and ripped his sheets off his bed and hid them in the closet for him to clean later. When he picked her up on that morning it seemed that a long cold shower and heavy soap wasn't enough to hide his scent from her nose. She stared at him for a long time, sniffed him, blushed and grinned before greeting him a cheery good morning. Takeshi was red all the way to school.

Curious of this sexually-alert Takeshi, she started teasing him. As they walk to school she would brush up against him. Takeshi and Tsunami were both a little annoyed (for Takeshi, slightly relived) that her wardrobe during a bright school day prevented their skin from touching. But, after school…the gloves were literally off. Along with everything else! Being vampire bats, Nana and Tsunami preferred their home to be a little warmer than normal during the cold seasons. Vampire bats lived in either arid or tropical environments. Their home was like a rain forest and Tsunami would dress for the indoors…as if it was summer. Tsunami would pull Takeshi into her bedroom, greeted Xanxus as they passed his guest room, shut the door and casually strip off her close…in front of Takeshi. Tsunami was comfortable being naked in front of her close friends. So she treated it as no big deal. Takeshi would stare and his eyes would wander all over her as she changed out of her clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Tsunami would take a deep inhale through her nose and smile at Takeshi…before pouncing on him and initiating snuggle session!

Snuggle sessions had jumped to a new level. Before it was for grooming and sweet kisses between each other. After Ryohei took Tsunami's virginity, Tsunami was ready for heavy petting and sensuous kissing. Hayato was missing out! Tsunami would breathe in his scent deeply and would pet Takeshi just the way he liked it, combing her fingers and claws through his short hair on the nape of his neck. Then she would ask him, if he would like to do more. He agreed and it began. Chaste kisses, pecks on the cheek and lips evolve to lips caressing one another and tongue. Tsunami hands found new places to please Takeshi. He found that he liked having his chest massaged. Her hands would mold, squeeze and pinch and Takeshi couldn't stop smiling. With the way Tsunami dressed after school, it was easy for Takeshi to guide his hands to her breasts. She liked to be touched there just like Takeshi did. Tsunami usually lied on her side beside Takeshi or between him and Hayato. Now she set herself up between Takeshi's legs, resting on top of him or would straddle and sit on his stomach. She mostly liked to sit on top of him. Takeshi figured that was her bat-side being the alpha-partner. He really liked that! He liked giving up control to her a lot.

These intense sessions would roll into overtime and into Tsunami's meditation time with Xanxus. Xanxus at first was glad that Tsunami would forget. Later Xanxus got tired of being ignored. He had busted into Tsunami's room once and found Tsunami sitting in Takeshi's lap on her bed making out with him. Xanxus yanked Tsunami out Takeshi's lap, grabbed the boy and threw him out of the house! Through the window! Since then, Xanxus began walking in on the two on purpose. Tsunami was both amused and annoyed by Xanxus' actions. She was amused that Xanxus was jealous of Takeshi; then annoyed for the interruptions and the wrestling matches that would ensue as they argued. Honestly, Tsunami did sort of like their play-fights.

Without Hayato, it was up to Reborn help them through their problems. Xanxus would stroll by and out of boredom watch the teens. As their studying progressed, Tsunami would lean into Takeshi, pressing against his arm where he could feel the curve of her breast or be hip to hip with her. Takeshi could feel both Reborn's and Xanxus' gaze on them. It was embarrassing and to the baseball player's surprise…arousing to be watched as Tsunami would quietly flirt with him. To Takeshi, Tsunami's light flirting wasn't enough. As the days went by his dreams became vivid and he wanted for those dreams to become reality. Tsunami was teasing him, playing the waiting game with him to see if he was going to make a move. Takeshi decides that he wants to go all to way to home base with Tsunami.

* * *

"EXTREME! You want to have sex with Tsunami-chan?!"

Takeshi was so relieved that he took the boxer to the park where nobody was around. It was getting colder and had been wet. So there were no children playing on the freezing, wet playsets. After Ryohei's outburst, he becomes thoughtful for a moment.

"Do you really think you're extremely ready?"

"Yes." Takeshi nods resolutely.

"What have you been doing with her lately?"

Takeshi blushes, "Senpai…."

"Hey! You came to me looking for some extreme advice! Plus, I told you about that one time we had sex."

Takeshi raises a brow, "Sure, but you didn't tell me about the second time!"

"EXTREME! How do you know about the second time?!"

"Gokudera and I saw you two. After the party celebrating how we won against the Varia. We went to Kimiki's Bathhouse and took bathes together. Then we fell asleep in one of her inn rooms. Gokudera woke me up and I followed him to a room where you and Tsunami were. I guess you coaxed Tsunami-chan away from Xanxus and had sex with her again…we watched. It was…" Takeshi blushes hard. "It was…amazing. She was so…wild…and the sounds she made…"

It was as if two beings were coming out of Tsunami's mouth. Tsunami's voice whispered Ryohei's name alongside her purrs, growls and happy snarls. Seeing her rip the tatami matted floor to shreds and her canines unsheathed as Ryohei furiously moved in and out of her. He had her on her stomach and he pressed his body onto her back. Ryohei worshipped Tsunami from behind with his lips on her neck, shoulders and back. He held her down so hard he left bruises, but Tsunami didn't seem to have minded. They went on for what it had been like hours to Takeshi and Hayato. They were amazed that their passion was kept at a low volume! When their love-making came to its conclusion, they were finishing off with Tsunami on her back and Ryohei on top. The boxer had to fight Tsunami for that position. As they climaxed, Tsunami clawed his back from his shoulders blades to the center of his back. Ryohei lost it completely after that.

Ryohei runs his gloved hand through his hair. He was grinning with a light blush, "Heh, Tsunami is extremely amazing…definitely like her like that when she's extremely feral."

"Do you still have the marks?"

Ryohei rolls his shoulders. He could still feel the scars on his back. He had been training with his boxing club with a shirt on until the scars had healed completed. Tsunami continues to watch Ryohei train from time to time and would smile happily, seeing Ryohei training in his shirt, knowing their little secret that was underneath it.

"Geez, Senpai…" Takeshi pouts, "Taking all the love…"

"Hmm, I just went for it to the extreme. It felt right. Not my fault that you and the others are dragging your feet…"

"That's why I'm asking for your help. Please, senpai," Takeshi turns to Ryohei and bows to him. "Please help me to…to… to have sex with Tsunami."

Ryohei puts his hands on Takeshi's shoulders and helps him to stand upright. The boxer is grinning at his underclassman baseball player.

"Sure, I will help! It's for Tsunami's sake!"

Takeshi beams, "Thank you, Ryohei-senpai!"

* * *

Squalo was enjoying her sort-of vacation. Dino was still watching over things in the Varia, so she was taking advantage of it. Her favorite activity was watching (spying) on Xanxus' interactions with Tsunami. It was a shock to the selkie woman when Xanxus said no and Tsunami started a fight. The fight is rough. There is kicking, punching, scratching and attempts between the two combatants to force the other to submission. Sometimes Xanxus won, but most of the time it was Tsunami's win. To Squalo it was no contest. Xanxus was human and Tsunami was an animal-hybrid. Xanxus wins his fights purely on sheer tenacity and for the sake of his pride. After a good tussle, Xanxus was tired and Tsunami would soothe Xanxus' soul. Win or lose, Xanxus would be in a relaxed state of mind. Tsunami would either be in his lap or had his head in her lap and she would massage his temples. Finding that Xanxus approved of the head massages, Tsunami offered full body massages. Their fights halved all together after Tsunami began giving massages to Xanxus. Xanxus was beginning to like getting pampered by Tsunami. After the meditation and massages, Xanxus felt peaceful and free. He didn't feel the burdens in having to posture himself before others. It made him realize that he was trying to please other people and not for himself. It made him angry that he allowed others to mold him. But, Tsunami didn't care about his status or titles. All she saw was a stubborn young man that was lonely and longed for acceptance. She accepted everything about him, forgave him for everything he had done against her and her family. His temper came out every now and then; Tsunami coaches him to control it. There was a time and place to be angry and sometimes going all out was highly unnecessary. Especially when living under the same roof with a certain Bovino child and the greatest hitman in the world that was a little prankster. Xanxus tendency for violence gave Tsunami's animal-side an opportunity to come out and she could be rough with him. She liked playing with Xanxus. Xanxus liked playing with Tsunami too.

Xanxus didn't like Tsunami being with her guardians. Especially with her Rain Guardian when he found that their relationship was becoming sexual. Walking in on the two of them for the first time upset him incredibly. He wasn't thinking when he charged into her room and threw her Rain out of the window. How fortunate (or unfortunate according to Xanxus) that the Rain Guardian had able to land on his feet and the two-story home wasn't that high. Tsunami was very angry with Xanxus for doing that and gave him the silent treatment. Xanxus didn't care that he was being ignored. After four days, it was becoming annoying and he tried to get her attention. He tried insults and threats but didn't receive so much as a glance from Tsunami. Finally, Nana approached Xanxus and gave him a simple solution; he needed to apologize. Xanxus refused! Three days of silence later…he forces out an apology to Tsunami. Tsunami decided that it was good progress and gleefully rewards Xanxus with a hug and kiss to his cheek. Takeshi started visiting the house again and he and Tsunami continued to flirt with each other. Xanxus was still bothered by that. He would sit in on their study sessions along with Reborn. Even while they studied, they flirted. Tsunami would sit close to Takeshi or sit in the Rain Guardian's lap. Xanxus had thought the baby hitman would disapprove of such distractions. From the gleam in Reborn's dark wide eyes and his tiny smirk, the baby knew that Xanxus didn't like the romantic attention Tsunami was giving her Rain. The Rain showed no signs of embarrassment. He didn't push Tsunami off or pull away when she got close when there were eyes on him. The kid didn't notice when Xanxus would glare daggers into his skull. Xanxus wished that he would combust.

Squalo was aware of the situation. She had walked upon such scenes to visit Tsunami or Takesushi. She tries to help Tsunami out by giving them some space by dragging her boss out of the Sawada house and take him to a bar. Sometimes to Takesushi, where Xanxus would take his frustrations out on Takeshi's father with cursing and demands for drinks and orders that weren't on the menu. Tsuyoshi, like his son, had the patience of a saint when dealing with temperamental people. He just grinned and nodded, Xanxus was the one paying for it!

"You're jealous," Squalo smirks.

Xanxus gives a side-glare to Squalo and snorts into his sake cup, "You're insane."

"You're jealous of the sword brat," Squalo insists and she tosses a piece of sushi into her mouth. "I can't believe that you're sweet on Tsunami. She's still a girl you know. Then again, the age of consent in Japan is thirteen and she fourteen."

Xanxus clenches his teeth and his cup. He takes a deep breath and sighs deeply. Squalo raises her brow. Was Tsunami's meditation working over Xanxus' temper? Tsunami could work miracles. She herself was proof of that.

"Stupid bitch…I'm not sweet on her. She's supposed to be helping me! Not get that brat off…"

Squalo looks across the room. They were sitting in far corner of Takesushi, away from the bar, Tsuyoshi's usual post and Takeshi wasn't around to help out. It was a slow day today thankfully. Bram was stuffing his face with sushi at the bar. Tsuyoshi was talking to him though Bram didn't understood what he was saying and in turn Bram replied in their Elvish tongue. Xanxus slams the cup on the table and goes through the motions of refilling his cup. He thought better of it and drinks straight from the bottle. Squalo grins. Xanxus liked Tsunami's honest and affectionate attention to him. It was something he craved for.

* * *

Tsunami was going through the big book of the history of the mafia at the Tejinaka temple. Reborn watches her. He follows her hand as it reaches up to her neck and she scratches at a red mark on her skin. It was a love bite.

"Tsunami."

"Hmm, yes, Reborn?" she was happy to look away from the book for a moment.

"I am aware that you're at an age where your hormones are going nuts. From what I've have seen, it must be more difficult for you since your partly an animal and you have very base instincts. You have had sex with Ryohei twice and I see you and Takeshi are preparing to engage in sex as well."

Tsunami blushes a little and nods.

"I'm not going to stop you from having sex. All I ask is that you and your guardians be careful. Don't hurt them or let them hurt you. Most of all don't get pregnant!"

Reborn pulls out a box and tosses it to Tsunami. Tsunami juggles the box clumsily and peers down on it. It was a box of condoms.

"I gave a box to each of your guardians…I suppose I don't have to worry about Chrome. She's fairly new and she's a girl." He grins as Tsunami blush deepens.

"T-thanks, Reborn…..wait…how on earth did you get these condoms?! You're a baby?!"

Reborn pulls down his fedora and smirks. "It's amazing how accepting your guardians are about sharing you. It isn't quite official…I suppose you have been slowly conditioning them that you have potential feelings for each of them. They are aware that within your clan that some bats often take more than one mate; your own grandfather has three wives. I expected Kyoya being the most territorial and would have tried to bite your suitors to death. He respects your status as the alpha female of this 'pack' that surrounds you and that you are a true carnivore."

"I told them from the beginning that I may be interested in more than one. Honesty is the best thing in a polyamorous relationship….hey! Don't change the subject!"

"It helps that you're charming and exotic," Reborn smiles.

Tsunami glares at Reborn for trying to change the subject again.

Her phone buzzes in her bag. Setting aside the box and book she jogs to her bag and pulls out her phone. It was a text message from Takeshi. She taps onto her phone and opens the text:

"Yo Tsu-chan 3 My dad is going on a trip with some buddies of his for the weekend Want to come over and 3 3 3?"

Tsunami frowns and sends a reply, "What does that mean 3 3 3?"

It took Takeshi three minutes to reply back, "LOL / sorry sorry I want to have sex with you /"

Tsunami becomes flush and she bites her lower lip. Oh! "I see." She texts, "Ok."

Takeshi doesn't reply until Tsunami and Reborn arrived home that evening, "WOW O/O O Can you spend the night Saturday?"

"I'll ask mom. I'm sure she'll say yes. /. I let you know later."

"OK */* 3 3 3 3."

Tsunami giggles. Takeshi loves to use a lot of emoticons. Xanxus growls into her ear.

"Xanxus, it's rude to read over one's shoulder."

"Hmph, so you and that kid are going to go all the way?"

"Yeah." Tsunami admits casually.

She turns around on her bed, facing Xanxus also sitting on her bed. His breath was heavy with alcohol. Tsunami covers her nose.

"Uuugh, you smell."

Xanxus stares at Tsunami before reaching out to hold her chin. Tsunami stares back into Xanxus' eyes. His red eyes were dark and slightly dull.

"Tch, I'm not…attracted to a little girl like you," he slurs.

Tsunami's eyes redden slightly. She smiles and turns her face into his hand and kisses his palm. Xanxus' eyes widen.

"That's a shame. I like you."

Standing from her bed, Tsunami leaves Xanxus in her room and skips down the stairs to speak with her mother. Xanxus holds his hand out and stares into it. He groans and falls face first into Tsunami's pillows.

"Fuuuuuck…"

* * *

Takeshi was so nervous. He hadn't been this nervous since he was up to bat in his first game in Pee-Wee baseball. He felt sick and light-headed. Tsuyoshi left early in the morning. His friends picked up in a rented out van. He hugged his son and ruffled his hair in good bye. He tells his son to behave himself while he was gone. Takeshi blushes and laughs, promising he'll try. Tsuyoshi laughs at their little joke and was gone.

Tonight was the night. Tsunami was coming over to spend the night with him. Ryohei told him what he needed to know and what do.

"Just go slow. Go slow at first and make sure she and you are okay and not hurting."

Right, Takeshi didn't want to hurt Tsunami. Even though she had done it twice so far, Takeshi didn't want to hurt her. He wanted this experience to be as pleasant as possible between them. He didn't want to let disappoint Tsunami. The bell to the entrance to their home rings. Yes, Takesushi, restaurant and home did have a front door that was placed away from the restaurant's entrance. The butterflies in Takeshi's stomach fluttered rampantly. Takeshi takes three deep breathes and pulls out a smile before hurrying to the door. Tsunami smiles up at him, wearing a backpack. They stare at each other and blush.

"Hi!"

"Hi."

"….Uh, come in."

Tsunami giggles and steps in. Takeshi takes Tsunami's backpack as she sits on the front door rise platform to remove her shoes. Takeshi waits patiently in silence and when Tsunami was ready, he leads her living area. The Yamamoto house was very traditional compared to Tsunami's house. In the living area was a short table with pillows for seating. There was sushi on display of course, along with other entrees of a simple dinner. But it still looked very good. Takeshi lets Tsunami get comfortable while he takes her backpack upstairs. When he returns they start dinner and watch a movie as they eat. The movie was light-hearted and funny, evaporating the nervousness in the air. Tsunami ate enough of dinner for taste, they both knew that she needed something else have her hunger satisfied. The movie ends and Tsunami leans into Takeshi and kisses his neck.

"Let's go upstairs. I want us to be comfortable when I feed." She pecks his neck again.

His heart is hammering in chest and he nods his head. He had no doubt that Tsunami could hear his heart. She gives him a comforting smile and holds his hand. Soothing wave washes over him and he smiles softly. They held hands going upstairs until they got into Takeshi's room. They lie together on his bed, Tsunami lying on top of Takeshi as she kisses his neck until it was numb before sinking in. Takeshi closes his eyes and sighs. He couldn't get enough of Tsunami feeding from him. Hayato and Takeshi love it when she fed from them. Tsunami needed blood to be alive and fit. They were providing life for Tsunami and they felt ever so close to her. Tsunami hums as she pulls away and seals the holes over with a long kiss.

Takeshi rolls to his side and they stare at each other. He puts a hand on her hip and rubs her skin beneath her long-sleeved orange shirt. Face drew close and they envelope each other's lips into one another. Takeshi tastes his own blood. He was always fascinated in how Tsunami could tell the difference between bloods from different people. All he could taste was that metallic aftertaste along with their dinner and Tsunami's own natural taste. Tsunami lies on her back and watches Takeshi with a blush and twinkle in her eyes. Takeshi moves over and hovers over her. She lifts her hands and wraps it around his neck but doesn't pull him down. Takeshi leans down attaching to her neck. He nips and bites around the jugular. She giggles in his ear and nips at the lobe. Takeshi groans at that. Hands wander and squeeze over arms, waists and Takeshi reaches under Tsunami's hips and squeezes one of her lower cheeks. She squeaks and he chuckles. Takeshi cell phone goes off startling the life out of the two. Takeshi leaps off Tsunami and searches his room for his phone. It was his dad calling in to check on his son.

"Takeshi, are you okay? You sound breathless…"

"Haha, I'm okay! I'm okay…My phone just got lost and it took me a minute to find it."

As Takeshi talks to his dad, Tsunami's own phone buzzes for an incoming text. Tsunami checks her phone and finds a message from Reborn.

"Be safe…or else."

Tsunami huffs and replies that she understood and will be careful. She was about to put her phone away and it buzzes again. It's Xanxus!

"Can't believe you're going to fuck that sword brat…I thought you liked me."

"It's too soon to tell if I like you that way ;P"

"….brat."

Tsunami sets the phone aside and makes herself comfortable. Very comfortable. Takeshi's back was turned as Tsunami reaches to her jeans, unbuttons her pants and draws down her zipper. Takeshi's conversation with Tsuyoshi ends with reassurance that he would be fine and in turn, Takeshi's asks his father to also take care. After hanging up he turns back to Tsunami and drops his phone. Tsunami was sitting on the bed in her bra and panties. The top matched the bottom. Her underwear was virgin white with light lacy trimmings. Her legs and knees were held close together. Hands rested on her knees as Tsunami tilts her head cutely. He had seen Tsunami in all sorts of manner of dress. He had taken bathes with her and seen her naked when she went feral, but there was something about the way Tsunami looked in white underwear that made Takeshi's blood come to a boil.

Takeshi steps in front of Tsunami. Golden brown eyes were sharp and hot. It made her shiver seeing those eyes. His shirt is removed and dropped at his feet. He sits close to her and kisses. He holds her hand with one hand and the other hand rests on her bare shoulder. His fingers plays over the strap of the bra with a gentle tug it slips down over her shoulder. Half of the bra reveals her breast. A thumb brushes over her nipple and Tsunami gasps sharply. Takeshi passes over her nipple again lightly before tracing patterns over and around it. Tsunami squeezes her legs together tightly. She was becoming tingly and her legs quivered. Reaching for her bra she unhooks it and shifts if off. Takeshi cups his hands under her breasts and weighs them in his hands. He notices how her flush spreads over her chest and it was pretty to him. Tsunami leans her head back, closing her eyes relishing in his touch.

Being with Takeshi so for was very different from Ryohei. The first time she was with Ryohei it was nerves and stress that had them all over each other. It hurt but the pleasure covered over the pain quickly. After they were done, Ryohei realized that he had hurt her and he comforted her in the shower, whispered apologies and affection. He even gave her soft soothing touches to her aching parts. Tsunami had no regrets. It was an incredible ache well worth the pleasure. Ryohei promised to be gentle next time and he kept his promised after the victory party. It was a slow rise to heaven and a swift rush down into sinful delight.

Takeshi lays her back onto his bed. Tsunami was panting lightly, her fangs peeked under her lip and her eyes were red.

"How do you feel, Tsunami?"

"Mmmm, really good. You're so gentle."

"Is there anything you want me to do?"

Tsunami takes a hand of his and slides it between her legs. She was on fire! Takeshi couldn't imagine what would happen to him when he enters her.

"Aaa-ah~!"

Takeshi tickles her outside of her panties. She clamps his hand between her thighs. Tsunami glares at him. Takeshi blinks in surprise.

"D-don't do that!" she pouts.

Takeshi snorts and snickers, "Sorry, sorry, my bad, my bad!"

Her thighs release his hand and he strokes her. Tsunami relaxes and hums. It was as if he was playing an instrument, the lighter the touch her voice was soft with gasping and sighing. The firmer the press her voice moans low and long. Her panties were getting dark with moisture. Curious, he slips his fingers inside. Tsunami makes a sharp yip.

"Whoa…"

Hot. It was really hot inside. Like a hot bath at that oh-so right temperature between warm and hot-warm! The feel of her besides the heat was interesting. It wasn't sticky. It was slippery but had this substance like gel. He pulls his fingers out, Tsunami mews in complaint, and he examines fingers. He toys with it, rubs it and even sniffs it lightly.

"Ta-takeshi?

Takeshi was so attentive and curious. Being very through with her and was sharp to pick up on every reaction of hers. Feeling daring he holds fingers to his lips and flicks the tip of his tongue over it on his fingers. Tsunami gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. Not even Ryohei was that bold! Takeshi sucks on his tongue. The taste of it was something unique of its own. It was subtle but it tasted metallic, like blood. He looks down on Tsunami and smiles giving his fingers another lick with confidence.

"You really are what you eat, neh?"

He hooks his thumbs under the hemline of her panties and pulls them away from hips. He slides his fingers over her legs as he escorts her panties down the slopes of her legs. They are removed and they join Takeshi's shirt. Climbing onto the bed, he positions Tsunami to lie properly along the bed.

"Takeshi? What are you going to do?"

"I like how you taste…going to help myself to a bit more," he grins.

Tsunami's eyes widen. Takeshi was going to…He lies between her legs and she could feel his breath on her. Takeshi makes eye contact with her and smiles. Placing his hands on her inner thighs he holds her wider apart. Tsunami winds the bed sheets in her hand in anticipation. He moves in close and kisses lips between her legs.

"Ohhhh!"

Another kiss, then another and another and then the slick muscle of his tongue. Tsunami cries out and arches her back. She never, never, never felt anything so incredible! His tongue strokes her all around slowly.

"Hey up there? How does it feel?"

Tsunami looks down and growls animalistic. She lets go of the sheets and sits up. Her throat rumbles and she puts her hands on top of his head and pulls him into her.

"M-more please!"

He goes into her again. Tsunami squirms and squeaks. Her feet slide back and forth, she tries not to crush Takeshi's head between her thighs as she fought to keep her legs apart. Takeshi squeezes her thighs. Tsunami feels something swell within her. She was going to burst soon…she whimpers and cries.

"Takeshi…I…stop…stop…please…please stop!"

Takeshi jumps up with a slightly panic look, "What's wrong?"

Tsunami shakes her, "Nothing! Nothing…I…I didn't want to burst yet…I want to go through it with you…with…with you inside me."

"Awww, Tsu-chan!" Takeshi wraps his arms around her in a tight hug. "So considerate."

"It's…It's your first time with me!" She returns his hug.

Pulling apart, Takeshi was smiling gloriously at her. Tsunami was smiling as well as their foreheads touch one another. He chuckles when he feels Tsunami's hand s tugging down his sweatpants. They were a really nice pair of sweatpants. Brand new in fact. Speaking of brand new…

"Whoa! I think we forgot something important!"

Tsunami tilts her head confused. Takeshi reaches behind her underneath his pillows. He pulls out square package. Tsunami frowns at it unfamiliar with this object.

"Condom."

Right! Condom. Takeshi holds the condom as Tsunami continues work his pants off along with his boxers. They are pulled down below his bottom and she gets an eyeful.

"Hiiiiieee!" She squeals.

Takeshi's blushes violently and rubs the back of his neck.

"Yeeeeah, I'm…pretty big."

"…..that's putting it delicately!"

"….Ryohei-senpai was upset with me…."

"Ryohei?"

"Mmm," Takeshi nods. "He…he forced me to…uh…let him see what I was going to be working with. When he saw it, he got mad that I was bigger than he is and he told me that when I get erect I would be much bigger."

With Takeshi being bigger, that meant that she was going to be stretched a little farther. It might hurt…it will hurt.

"Tsunami, if you're afraid, we don't have to do it tonight." He smiles softly. "I absolutely don't want to hurt you during my first time. I want this to be something we'll both remember fondly. I asked for advice and did some research. I…I got you really wet so I can…you know…slip in easily. But, if it still hurts tell me, okay?"

Tsunami leaps forward and catches Takeshi into a kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulls him down to the bed with her. As they consumed each other, Takeshi worked his last bits of clothing off his legs. Tsunami plants her feet close to Takeshi's knees. Removing the condom from its package, Takeshi remembers the directions and manages to roll it over himself. He settles between her legs and a thought came to him. Suddenly, he rolls and switches positions with Tsunami. Tsunami wasn't expecting that move and Takeshi laughs at her startled expression.

"I like it with you on top. I like this position the best."

She purrs in reply, leaning forward she pecks his nose before crawling backwards to align herself with Takeshi. She takes a closer look at Takeshi's pride. She was nervous but happily excited. Reaching between them she gives him a squeeze. Takeshi squeaks and slaps a hand over his mouth. Tsunami stares down on him and giggles.

"Tsu-chan~!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!...But it was a cute sound!"

Resting a hand on his stomach lightly, he holds him in place with her other hand and lowers herself. Both were biting their lip as the head slips in.

"Mmmm!"

"Ohhh godsss!"

With every deep breath, inch by inch Takeshi is taken in. Tsunami had a light sheen of sweat on her body as she was fully sheath.

"Ta….ta…ke…shi?" she pants.

"please…one…minute…I might…as you said, burst…"

Tsunami nods. Takeshi had his arms crossed over his face. She could hear his teeth grinding against each other. He was really trying hard to contain himself. Tsunami wanted to kiss him to encourage him, but due their height difference, Tsunami would have to move forward to reach his lips. She was so full. Arms uncross and fall onto Tsunami's legs. His hands grip her knees and he gives her a smile.

"I'm good."

"Okay, um…could you give me a pillow?"

It took Takeshi a few seconds to register her request. He pulls a second pillow from under his head and gives it to Tsunami. Tsunami places the soft pillow on top of his stomach and burrows her claws into it. The stomach is very vulnerable. She didn't want to rip his stomach open in the throes of what made be a very intense passion. She rises onto her knees slight and pushes downwards. Takeshi grunts and holds her knees tighter. Tsunami lets out a whoosh of breath. She couldn't think of words. She does it again and again and again.

1…2…3…1…2…3….

"ohhhhhHHH…."

"mmmmm…purrrrrrrrrrr~!"

Tsunami was getting wetter. Her fangs were fully unsheathe, her ears were pointed and her eyes completely red. Tsunami groans and snaps her fangs together. Strong hands grip her hips and Takeshi joins her into this bodily waltz. Claws prick into the pillow as it pushed into Takeshi's stomach every time their hip met. Tsunami's going down, Takeshi arching up. The bed creaks lazily. Suddenly, Tsunami's hips rises a little higher and she snaps her hips down. Takeshi swore. Tsunami growls a warning and changes pace. Higher and higher…faster and faster…the bed creaks in praise. Takeshi watches Tsunami and what he sees he decides that it was the most beautiful version of Tsunami he had ever seen. Her bangs clung to her face; her mouth was agape with her canines on full display, eyes watching him as well. Her breasts bounce and it looked like it was almost hitting Tsunami in the chin they were as memorizing as her eyes!

"Tsuuuuunami~…." Takeshi mumbles. "I….AH….I….love yoooUUUU~!"

Tsunami is gasping. The pillow is being torn apart; cotton and other fibers that made the pillow were being shredded and were floating about in the air making it look like it was snowing inside Takeshi's room. The headboard of his bed was joining the chorus of squeaking springs, gasping and moaning and ripping. Sweating skin slaps in unison.

Almost…almost…almost, there was a pressure tightening within the boy and bat girl. Tsunami knew this feeling. This feeling was the bringing her to the end road of ecstasy.

"Takeshi…"

"Tsunami…there…I…think…it's I'm…."

Takeshi plants his feet on the bed and bucks with all his might. Tsunami shrieks, but Takeshi couldn't hear it. But there were dogs barking outside!

"TSUNAMI! GOD…."

Fireworks. Dynamite. Stars. Comets. Planets. Takeshi saw the birth of the universe…then whiteness.

The world stopped spinning after he caught his breath and he regained his vision. Tsunami was resting on top of him. Her hair was soaked and she was smiling as she draws circles around his navel. Takeshi flinches and chuckles weakly.

"I love you too," Tsunami whispers.

Home run.

"Takeshi….I tore your pillow. I made a huge mess."

Takeshi laughs and holds Tsunami tighter.


	24. Chapter 24: Hayato the Cat Boss

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 24: Hayato the Cat Boss

A few days earlier…

An old man with a pinched face. With his wrinkles on wrinkles he looked like a constipated prune. Standing outside in the cold autumn air, gripping his coat together with one hand, he bangs on the door of an apartment. The thundering on the door continues until the door is flung open and Gokudera Hayato glares down on the old man.

"WHAT?!" he roars.

"Don't you 'what' me! I have been very patient with you, Gokudera!"

"What's your problem now?! I've been paying my rent on time!"

"That's the only reason why you're still here! Out of all the rest of these bums that live here, you're the only one that pays his full rent due! But, I have to draw the line! You know that pets aren't allowed in these apartments!"

"I'm well aware of that," Hayato leans against the door.

A black and white cat strolls between Hayato's legs. After rubbing against his ankles, she meows looking up at him. He nods his head.

"You're welcome."

She purrs and strolls away and disappears down the stairs. The old man chokes and snarls as he glares at Hayato. He points a bony finger at the now gone cat.

"What was that?!" he shrieks.

"A cat, obviously. But she's not my cat."

"It came out of your apartment!"

"She's not my mine. She's a stray cat that stopped by. "

Hayato pushes off the door frame, "If you excuse me, I have things to do. You'll have my rent next month."

Hayato slams the door into the old man's face. Hayato rubs his temples as he curses under his breath. He passes a mirror hanging on the wall.

"_**You know, I'm getting really tired of that man…we should do something about him**_…"

Back tracking, Hayato looks at his reflection. He sees himself in the mirror, but his eyes were brighter and his hair combed back with some of his silver strands hanging over his eyes. Hayato glares at his other self, Nekomasa's version of himself.

"Who's fault that the landlord keeps hassling me?! Your furry subjects keep visiting here asking for favors and help. Sheesh, how do you deal with this?"

Nekomasa's grins, "_**What? Did you think I just lie around all day sunning my fur?**_"

"Yes," Hayato points at the mirror. "That's actually how I believed you've spent your days!"

"_**Well, you thought wrong. I am the Cat Boss of Namimori City. I have duties to my kin and I make sure that they are taken care of**_."

Nekomasa's kin, his cat people, mostly asked for assistance with cat issues. It mostly ranged from helping cats finding food, finding homes for kittens or reuniting them with their mothers or even helping cats with their owners' troubles. Hayato didn't realize that Nekomasa was such a sap of fur. Nekomasa insists that he only does it for rewards. The rewards that were delivered to Hayato's apartment were from junk such a yarn balls, bottle caps and worse, dead mice and birds. Some things were actually of value that Hayato kept. One cat gave him a winning lottery ticket, another a few bills and he once received a pretty cool looking rock which he carved into a skull and had it imbedded into a silver ring. He met the cat that gifted him the rock and he made sure to give him a scratch behind the ears and a can of tuna in return.

It was tiring work. There were so many cats in Namimori! Nekomasa did have servants. These cats went around Namimori watching the going-ons of other cats and people and made reports to Nekomasa when they deemed it important enough for their lord to know about.

He had also discovered that M.M. was still in the city! She too was tasked out to help in Nekomasa's kitty kingdom. Hayato had seen her from time to time buying or carrying large bags of cat food.

Hayato complained about the work, but he had a soft spot for cats. Nekomasa always uses his soft spot to counter Hayato's hesitation to help out. Hayato moves away from the mirror and falls out onto his couch.

"Feels like we're going out hunting tonight."

Hayato had an arm draped over his eyes. Hearing the idea of hunting, made him smile, a sharp canine slips out of his grin. Nekomasa rumbles in anticipation in his mind.

* * *

It was a moonless mid-autumn night. The trees planted along the road were now dark and bare. A slight of breath of the wind makes the last of the fiery-colored leaves dance on the rain-soaked street. It was the only beautiful thing on these streets of Namimori City. Namimori City is considered very peaceful. There was hardly any crime, thanks to Kyoya. Or at least there was very little crime that showed its face to the light of day. Every city, no matter how safe and clean has its hidden dark stain. Ordinary citizens of society ignore this stain, try to remain ignorant of it, denying its existence. But it's there. There were thieves and scammers. Small gangs that manage to grow into bigger gangs, like the Momokyo-kai. In the heart of the city, lies the darkest secret of Namimori. In this area it is known as the Dark Light District. It was known as the Red Light district many centuries ago. Nobleman and samurai use to be entertained with music and dance performed by geisha in the company of geisha. But during and after World War II, the art died out and in the place of the geisha were prostitutes, desperate women trying to survive.

It's an apartment lit with neon signs, living in a single room apartment, lived two women. They had been the best of friends for years, since middle school. Their names were Miki and Emi. Both were prostitutes. Emi met Miki during a dark period in her life. She had run away from home due to family troubles. The day she left her troubles was the day she met Miki. Miki was a girl of the streets and she took Emi under her wing. They had their good days and they had their bad days.

"Geeeez, Miki. This is such short notice…"

"I know, I'm sorry," Miki claps her hands together in front of her face.

"Do you know how cold it is out there? It could snow any time!"

Miki giggles, "It's not that cold."

Emi narrows her eyes. Miki smiles sheepishly and bows to her friend.

"Just for three hours!"

Emi sighs and before she could argue back the door knocks. Miki brightens and practically skipped to the door. Opening the door, it was filled by a tall, lanky man with short-cropped hair and a heavily tattooed neck. He wore a puffy coat with a large mane of fur on the jacket's hood. On the left side of his jacket was the clan's emblem of a spiraling dragon. The mark of the Momokyo-Kai.

"Nori-kun!" Miki leaps upon him.

Nori chuckles and they share an open-mouthed kiss. Emi playfully pretends to gag herself.

"Hold on, hold on…let me leave and give you two some privacy!"

"Thank Emi," Miki gives a gracious smile.

"See ya' later, I'll keep myself warm at the club."

"Go crazy, Emi-chan!" Nori grins, "Take all the time you want."

Emi rolls her eyes. She breezes past as she pulls her neon green plastic coat off the wall rack. The couple were already making out to Miki's bed side of their room. Emi locks the door behind her.

Emi found a club to hang out in. All her favorite songs were played. Most of her drinks were free and she did meet someone nice. But, she was off the clock; she just wanted to have fun while Miki was having it with her boyfriend. Between drinks and songs, Emi checks her watch. While taking a breather, she checks her phone for any messages from Miki. Every time there was nothing.

Emi called it quits at one-forty in the morning. Steamed waft off her when she steps out into the cold. The cold didn't bother her at all as she walks home, her spirits high. As she strolled she hums one of her favorite songs. She was alone on the street until a young man comes her way. He wasn't your typical teenager. What caught her attention was his silver hair, glowing under the dim orange street lights. His eyes as well were glowing bright, sharp and green. Emi couldn't keep her eyes off him as they pass each other. Just as he was leaving her line of sight, the kid glances at her and smirks. The woman blushes. The kid would be a heartbreaker ten years from now, she thought.

"A little young to be smiling like that to a grown woman!"

"_**Heh, you wish you were my age**_."

She laughs. Emi couldn't get mad at that. She honestly did wish to be his age.

Trudging up the stairs, Emi yawns. She was getting tired and was ready to hit the sack. Pulling her keys out of her pocket she touches the key to the door and realizes it was a jar. Frowning, she pushes the door.

"Miki? Is everything okay? Why is the door…"

Between their beds was a three-part screen divider. It had been knocked over. Through the screen, there were splatters of blood. On the floor there was blood staining the carpet. Emi gasps, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"Miki! Miki!"

"…E…mi…chan…"

Emi runs to the screen and uncovers Miki. Her friend lies on her back partially naked except for a loose floral print robe. The robe was stained with blood, along with her stained skin that was ripped with two holes into her stomach. She was continuously bleeding. Miki moans as she looks up at Emi.

"Oh my…god…Miki! What happened to you?!"

"….No…no…nori…he found out…"

Emi pulls Miki into her arms. As she held her, she noticed something odd. Waving weakly beneath Miki's body was a long limb. A tail! A cat's tail! Emi's eyes widen.

"Miki…what are you?!"

"I'm…a bakeneko…"

"Bake…neko? Impossible!"

Miki smiles softly, "Yet, here I am…" she tries to laugh but coughs up blood.

Emi reaches into her jacket for her phone. Miki grabs her hand and shakes her head.

"No."

"What?! You need help! You're…"

"You can't do that…I can't see a doctor…..I'm a bakeneko…I can't let anyone else…know about me…"

"But, Miki…you're dying!" Emi sobs.

Miki holds Emi's hand, "Then I die…I'm sorry that I have to leave you again…"

"Again?"

Miki smiles and waves her tail.

"Don't you recognize my tail, my face…my eyes and ears?"

Her tail was smooth, blotted with dark and orange patterns. Emi recognizes the tail pattern in disbelief. Looking onto Miki's face she studies her famous white birthmarks under her eyes. She remembers seeing them on a fuzzier face.

"I'm Miki. The calico cat you had when you were a cute kid." Miki laughs. "I remember when you found me in box in an alley…" she coughs. "Such a cliché meeting of a girl and a kitten….grew up fast and watched how your family fell apart. Your father…was hitting the bottle hard…and started hitting you and your mom around."

Emi's face darkens from the memory. Her mother did nothing to stop it. Emi had tried to convince her mother that he was no good and they needed to leave the man. But her mother refused. She loved him. So Emi was the one who left. She left her family and her home. Everything. Even her cat Miki. She didn't know how long she walked the streets until she ran into Miki, the girl with two white spots under her eyes. The same spots that her cat Miki had! How could she have missed that semblance?

"You wouldn't have lasted long on the streets, sweetie. So, I followed you…and turned myself into a girl."

Together they lived on the streets. Times were tough and rough, but Miki followed Emi while also giving her a guiding hand. It was Emi's idea to sell her body and Miki did the same.

"Nori found out. Didn't he?"

Miki sobs, swallows and nods. Emi holds her dear friend close to her. What could she do? She couldn't call an ambulance. She couldn't call the police. Her friend was a cat! Nobody can know about her! This was unfair!

"Emi-chan…please do something for me…" Miki's voice was becoming softer.

Emi bends her ear to Miki's lips.

"Anything, Miki-chan!"

"Give me justice!" her pupils were thin. "…Find a boy named Gokudera, Hayato and ask him…ask him for Nekomasa-sama! Tell him what happened to me! Ask him…to avenge my death!"

Emi bites her lip. She nods her head and promises to do as Miki asked. Miki closes her eyes and her body shifts. Cradled in Emi's arms, buried in a floral print robe was a body of a calico cat with two white spots under her eyes. Miki the cat opens her green and blue eyes. She mews and closes her eyes for the last time. Emi quivers her lip and hugs the dead cat close to her heart.

* * *

It took some time and asking around her neighborhood for a Gokudera, Hayato. Most of the adults didn't know who he was. Emi avoided any one who was a part of the Momokyo-kai. Her friends asked her about Miki.

"I haven't seen Miki-chan in a while, Emi?

"I…I heard about what happened…is Miki really…"

Emi didn't tell them that Miki was dead. She lied telling those that knew Miki that she ran out of town. She finally found someone that knew of Gokudera, from one of the younger girls on the streets; girlfriends of wannabe gangsters and runaways. Gokudera was an Italian-Japanese that came all the way from Italy for some reason. He and another handsome stud from Namimori Middle had a run-in with the Momokyo-Kai before and had beaten together with the Demon Perfect Hibari!

Emi waits across the street from the school as students leave for the day. Emi's school days seem so far and distant and lonely. A girl and a tall boy walked out of the entrance. Taking in the girl's outfit, Emi thought that though it was a cold day, the girl was rather bundled up with a large hat, gloves and tights under her skirt. The boy was quite a looker. Tall and tan, definitely a sports kid. His face was red as the girl brushes against his side.

"Huh, how cute," Emi smiles sadly.

Emi waits and waits. No sign of any foreign kid. Sighing heavily she walks away from the school. A black cat stops in front of her. He looks up at her with his golden eyes. Emi stares back. Turning his back he walks ahead of her three feet before looking over his shoulder. Walking a little further, he repeats the action. Getting the hint, she follows that cat. It could be a friend of Miki's.

"So, did you hear the bad news, cat?"

The black cat slows his walk and his ears drop slightly.

"…I'll…take that as a yes."

Emi is lead to a cheap apartment. Climbing some stairs, the black cat stops in front of a door. Emi joins the cat at the door. She knocks on the door. The black cat meows. The door opens and Emi gasps. It was that handsome young boy with the silver hair and green eyes. But those eyes were dark boy frowns at her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Gokudera…Hayato?"

"Maybe?" he narrows his brows further.

"I'm looking for Nekomasa!"

'_**Let's hear what she has to say to me**_.'

Hayato lets the woman in. He sits her at his kitchen table. He remains standing, scratching his head in uncertainty. Emi waves her hand.

"It's fine. You don't have to play host. I've seen you before. On the night my friend Miki was murdered."

'_Nekomasa-sama_," the black cat meows, '_Miki was a fellow bakeneko_.'

Hayato whips his head from Emi to the cat.

'_What?! A bakeneko? There's more than one in this city_?!"

'_**Of course, boy**_.' Huffs Nekomasa. '_**There are more bakeneko. A bakeneko is a cat with magic specializing in transformation. In time, lots of time, a bakeneko's magic grows and as it becomes stronger their tail will split…like mine. However, no bakeneko has every reached my level. If they did…I would have to convince him or her to leave my city. It isn't big enough for two nekomata. Now, about Miki…I know her…or rather, knew of her**_…'

'_Nekomasa_?'

'_**Miki was a lover of mine, one of many. Ask her how she died**_.'

Miki was discovered to be a cat by her boyfriend, a human named Nori. Hayato could feel Nekomasa's rage within him. It was so powerful, it made Hayato begin to growl and his eyes glowed. Hayato turns his back on Emi, hanging his head over the sink. When he straightens himself, he pulls his hair back and looks upon Emi with brighter green eyes.

"**Emi-san. I will fulfill our dear Miki-chan's last wish**."

* * *

"Yo, Nori! What happened between you and Miki?" Asks an underling.

Nori was furiously tapping the buttons at an arcade. When the question was asked he lost his concentration and died in the game. Nori turns to the underling and growls.

"Bastard, you made me die!"

"S-sorry, Nori! But, aren't you worried about Miki? She left town for some reason."

"How should I know?! Maybe that slut pissed off the wrong guy!"

Nori's underlings looked at each other. For a long time, Nori and Miki had been dating. Even though Miki was a prostitute, Nori dated her anyway, even though she continued to work the streets. Nori talked about marrying her. But, something changed sense Miki disappeared. It was hard to say if maybe Miki cheated on him, but Nori didn't seem to care for the details. Nori shoves his hands into his jacket's pockets.

"I'm heading out! I want to be alone!"

"S-sure, Nori-kun…?"

Nori leaves the arcade and stands in front of the entrance. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and takes a stick. Lighting it up, he takes a puff and stares up at the sky for a moment before walking away.

Miki. Miki wasn't human. She was a cat! Nori had met Miki four years ago at a club along with her friend Emi. Miki was gorgeous! Her short auburn hair and those entrapping green eyes, one was darker than the other. She and Emi were working the main bosses of the yakuza gang during one of their bi-monthly meetings of the smaller divisions reporting to the higher ups. Nori was of the 8th Division and it was his turn to make his report. When he was making his report, he and Miki made eye contact. Those eyes contrasted well with the two white marks under her eyes. He almost forgot what he was saying but was able to catch himself, after Miki broke eye contact. After the meeting was dismissed Miki waited for him and offered him a good time. He had never been with a woman that was so skilled!

Well, she was a prostitute. She had lots of practice. But it felt so good, when Miki did it out of love. She never charged him when they got together. Never. She became an addiction! Three years after dating, they started talked out marriage. Miki wanted to. She loved him, but she was concerned about Emi. Always about Emi. The two were inseparable. They were like sisters. It took him a year to figure out a way to convince Miki to marry him. He called Miki and told him he would be over. When he arrived at their apartment, he could heard them arguing. A harmless little fight, he could hear the humor in Emi's voice. He knocked on the door and he was greeted by Miki. Miki was ready for him and he was raring to go! Emi left them quickly and they took it to her bed. Right in the middle, Nori proposed. Miki was stunned to tears. She asked about Emi and Nori promised that he would take care of her best friend/sister. Emi could live with them. Miki was moved to tears and they continued with fervor.

When Nori woke up, it was late. Looking at the digital alarm clock of Miki's end table, he remembered that it was midnight. Miki wasn't in bed. Nori had gently turned his head and was able to see behind the screen. Miki stood behind it, in her favorite short robe with flowers on it. She was mumbling to herself. Something about hating the new moon and it making her weak. She was trying to smooth down her hair which was sticking up on the two sides of her head. Nori frowned and sat up. He called her name and she jumped. He reached for the lamp and he was able to see clearly. It wasn't her hair sticking up. There were cat ears on her head. He was horrified. Miki wasn't human! He scrambled out of the bed. Miki trembled and begged him to calm down. How was he supposed to calm down after finding out she was a cat! Something like her shouldn't exist! It was unnatural! She had to disappear. She had to go. He reached for his jacket, pulled out his gun. Miki screamed. He fired two shots.

Nori shook his head. After that night, he looked up cat women. Mostly a lot of porn stuff came up but he finally found what he was looking for. Stories of cats with the ability to change their forms. Tricky transforming cats that fed on humans in multiple ways, either by sucking out their life or eating their flesh. He growled. So Miki was going to eat him. Well, he showed her! He did the world a good service getting rid of a monster.

"Mreooooow!"

Nori yells and turns upon a black cat. The cat glowered at him with golden eyes. The cat snarls with his fur on his neck and back standing on end. With a spat, the cat turns and gallops off. Nori clicked his tongue and shoved his hands back into his jacket cursing at himself.

"Great! Now I freak out when I hear a stupid cat! Damn you, Miki."

"_**Nori, leader of the 8**__**th**__** division of the Momokyo-kai**_?"

"Who wants to know?" Nori snaps.

"_**Miki-chan was a lover of yours**_."

Some young punk walks into the light of a street lamp. He strolls coolly to stand before Nori. The kid was oozing with arrogance. It rubbed Nori the wrong way, while at the same time, made him very nervous. He had this coolness that his bosses over him had.

"Was…" Nori growls. "She ran off."

"_**Hmmm, I don't think she did. She would have told me if she was leaving town. Considering I'm her boss**_."

There was dead silence, before Nori coughs and cracks up.

"Whaaaat?! A punk like…hahaha…you?! Miki's boss…hahahahaha," Nori bends over his waist. "You're just a kid!"

The silver-haired boy grins, his eyes glimmering down on Nori's bent form.

"_**I have a very old soul…allow me to introduce myself. I am Nekomasa, the Cat Boss**_."

"C-c-cat Boss?"

"_**Yes. Meaning I'm the boss of all the cats in this city. Including Miki-chan. In fact, she was one of my favorite lovers before I settled. A request was given to me from Miki-chan through her sister, Emi-chan before she died**_."

Nekomasa's features become stretched and fierce. His mouth enlarges bearing horrific fangs. His hands crack and snap, growing long claws.

"_**She requested…that I avenge her death and I will gladly do so**_!"

Nori turns to bolt, but that action stalled when he found a herd of cats gathered behind him! There were hundreds of them! They took over the entire street. Nekomasa laughs. His laugh sounds like a demon hacking up a hairball. Nori darts into an alley.

"_**Really now**_…" Nekomasa disappears and gives chase.

Nori runs as if Hades himself was on top of him. There were more of those monsters! Miki sent them after him.

"_**You know what's so sad. Miki loved you. Loved you with all her heart**_!" Nekomasa's voice echoes all around Nori. "_**Then when you found out her true nature…you were afraid and also embarrassed. You were in love with a cat! You were going to marry a cat…so you killed her, just for being different**_."

Nori hears a million paws clambering after him. Looking over his shoulder he finds a several hundred eyes belonging to the army of cats. They cahse him down coming out of other alley ways, making him continue to run straight. Straight into a dead end! Trapped he pulls out his gun…

There was a gleam of light that blinded him. Nekomasa stood between his cat army and Nori. He flexes his claws, painted in blood. There was a clatter and he finds his gun fallen to the ground…with his hand still attached. The pain sets in and Nori screams clutching his handless wrist while falling to his knees. His breathes in and out rapidly through his teeth. Nekomasa's sneakers appear in his view. Looking up, Nekomasa has his hand in his hand. He yanks the gun out of his hand's grip. With a sick grin, he rips the hand apart with his teeth. Bones crunch, flesh squelches and bleeds. A stream of blood splashes onto Nori's face. Eyes shrunk to pin pricks in watching Nekomasa devour his hand! Smacking his bloody lips Nekomasa's eyes filled with bloodlust and he growls in hunger.

"It's been so long since I eaten human flesh…sooo succulent!"

Nori's screams pierces through the alley.

* * *

Blood. Cats. Claws. Hayato's face stained in blood. Eyes gleaming!

Tsunami screams in Takeshi's bed out of her sleep! She is drenched in cold sweat and shaking with fear. Did she really see that? Was that Hayato? Takeshi was woken up by Tsunami's scream and he sees her shaking. He gathers her in his arms and holds her stroking through her hair. Tsunami swears to herself she'll need to see Hayato tomorrow!

It had been awhile since she had been to Hayato's apartment. The last time she was there was when she met Hayato for the first time. She insisted on visiting Hayato alone. In case, he did what she thought she saw in her dream…or rather what Nekomasa did through Hayato. She knocks on his door and calls for him. He didn't answer. She senses for his presence. He was inside and peering closer…he was ill. Hayato had given her a copy of his apartment key. He wasn't supposed to do that…but ever the delinquent, Hayato did it anyway and only gave her a copy having complete trust and faith in her. Entering his apartment, Tsunami immediately goes to Hayato's bathroom. There she finds him face deep into his toilet bowl retching so hard his body seized tightly. Tsunami assists him by pulling his hair back and resting a hand on his back. Hayato was too sick to dissuade her. It was as she feared looking into the contents in the bowl. Pink matter and blood staining the white porcelain.

"What have you done, Nekomasa?!" Tsunami cries.

Nekomasa didn't answer her.

Once his stomach was emptied of human remains, Tsunami sits with him in his bedroom. He tells her everything since a woman named Emi came to his apartment asking for Nekomasa. Tsunami learns about the murder of a bakeneko. Killed by her lover and found by her owner, best friend and sister, the woman named Emi. Tsunami draws Hayato into her arms and they rest together.

Hayato reawakens, still in Tsunami's arms. There were tears in her eyes.

"Tenth…" he whispers.

Tsunami's sharp ears pick up on his voice. She looks upon Hayato and kisses his forehead.

"Hayato-kun, are you okay?"

"I'm feeling better….just a bit…oh god…did that really happen…did I eat…"

Tsunami clutches him tightly, "I…don't know whether to be angry…sad…but one thing I do know is…that I understand Nekomasa and I understand Miki-san's pain. It was unfair of what happened to her. It's a sad story that has happen more often than you think. For years, cats, foxes and other animals that had the ability to shapeshift have often fall for humans and humans fall for them in turn. You've heard the stories of the wives and lovers of men being discovered to be an animal. It ends in two ways. The animal runs away or their lover kills them. It's scary, Hayato…"

"What's so scary?"

"….It scares me…Miki-san loved this Nori guy. Nori loved Miki-san. He wanted to marry her right?"

Hayato nods against her chest.

"It scares me because…my dad could be Nori."

Hayato's eyes widen, "Tenth!"

"If Papa found out about Mama and me…would he pull out his gun and…"

"Shhhh!" Hayato hisses. "Don't think that!"

"But it could happen. Humans are frightened by things they don't understand. I don't want to be disillusioned by you and the others love for me. It's by some incredible luck that you accepted me for what I am. Out of the majority that has accepted me…there could be that one percent that someone will reject me. There's always a chance…and it's so scary."


	25. Chapter 25: Dr N Love

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 25: Dr. N. Love

Still busy in Italy, Yoyori was able to pull away from work to go out for coffee. No matter how what, whether he was swamped or had little to no work to be done in his private office, Yoyori would take his break to get cup of Italian coffee or espresso. The Tejinaka family doctor/vet was making his way to his favorite bar. Yes, bar. As Yoyori learned there weren't coffee shops or cafes in Italy. Coffee was served in bars in Italy. He was just turning about the corner when a woman bumps into him. The woman bounces off his wall of a chest and falls backwards. She lands onto the ground with a thump. She mutters in pain, rubbing her bottom. Yoyori holds his hand out and he was going to apologize, until she looked up at him.

He saw the most beautiful pair of eyes. They were the most stunning shade of red-violet. Violet eyes full of warmth and life behind thin wired glasses. Her hair was long and loose of brown so light it was nearly blonde. They stare at each other in the middle of the sidewalk. Yoyori had his hand stretched out, bent at the waist. Mouth opens and closes, but he couldn't force out his voice. The woman sees the offered hand and takes it. Feeling her hand in his awakens Yoyori and he clasps his over her hand and pulls her to her feet.

"I am sorry, ma'am," he stutters with his Italian.

The woman shakes her head, "No, I must apologize; I was the one that wasn't being careful going around the corner!"

She looks at their hands. He was still holding hers.

"Excuse me, but I must say this, but your eyes are the most striking eyes I ever seen. That color appeals to me greatly!"

Those striking eyes widen in surprise. A blush forms under her eyes and across her nose. Such a beautiful tint of pink, it made her fair freckles much pronounce.

"My name is Yoyori. If you have time to spare, I would like to buy you an espresso."

The woman plays with her glove, looking down on the points of her heeled shoes. This was so sudden. She looks up and takes in the man's appearance. He was Japanese though his face held a lot of strength. His hair was dark and thick and somehow he had gelled back. Two white strands of bangs framed his narrowed face. His eyes were thin and of a dark, dark chocolate. But, if you looked into his eyes deeply there was touch of crimson.

"I…I have nothing to do actually. I was just taking a mindless stroll."

Yoyori smiles and places her hand on his arm, "Allow me then to stimulate your mind with conversation…Miss…?"

"Oregano."

The two strangers became acquainted and learned more about each other over coffee. Yoyori was a doctor and to Oregano's surprise, was also a veterinarian. He explained that he was medically fascinated by both and wanted to help both humans and animals. He had two offices he bounced back and forth to and from. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays were devoted to humans; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays belonged to the animals. Oregano worked for a business corporation. She had her hands in all sorts jobs from clerical work, investigations and keeping her boss in line. She lightly complains about him, but adds that he was a good man. He had recently got into an accident and while he was recovering he gave Oregano and his employees a week off.

"It's been so long since I had a vacation!"

"You wouldn't mind that I take up some of your vacation time? I would like to see more of you and talk with you."

Oregano nods with blush, "I wouldn't mind at all."

Yoyori met Oregano every day at the same time of their first meeting. Sometimes they sat for lunch at his favorite bar or go to Oregano's favorite bakery. She learned at the bakery that Yoyori loved anything red velvet. She would pick up some sort of red velvet treat for Yoyori and take it to him at his favorite spot or would visit him at his offices before or after their meetings. On the last day of Oregano's vacation, Yoyori asks her to go out with him for dinner that night. Of course, she agreed.

Yoyori is waiting for Oregano at a very nice restaurant. He was dressed in a dinner suit with a red satin shirt and red tie while the rest of his suit was black. Hair, along with his bangs was slicked black stylishly. He smells her scent before he sees her. Standing up he sees her walk in through the door and he purrs in his throat. Oh, how he loved red. Especially on a woman like Oregano. She wore a red strapless dress, heart shaped top. The bottom edge of the dress fluttered around her red-heeled ankles. Her hair was done in a clean bun, with two long strands of hair curled loosely hanging forward over her shoulders. Her lips had the color of candy apples, making him want to taste her lips, in fact…

Oregano is lead to their table by the waiter. She smiles and before she could greet him, he greets her first sealing his lips over hers. Clutching her shoulders, he groans against her lips. Oregano made a surprised gasp before she leaned against him. The waiter makes a quiet escape. They finally pull a part with Yoyori grinning slyly.

"Forgive me, Oregano. I couldn't hold myself back."

"Don't be…" she was dazed.

Dinner was delightful. Oregano was flirted with and was paid compliment after compliment. Yoyori was the sweetest, charming man she had ever met. She was in love. She could definitely say that, though it only has been a week. After a savory dinner with the best of red wine, Yoyori takes her hand to his lips. His eyes on her made her body become electric.

"I don't want you to leave me just yet."

No begging or coaxing was needed. Next thing Oregano knew she was in Yoyori's apartment. His humble apartment was decorated in traditional Japanese. Even the furniture was Japanese. The bed was low to the ground but rose off the ground by platforms by a few inches. Yoyori's lips and hands were searing into her skin that was bare to him. His hands found the zipper to the back of his dress. His touch was delicate and with purpose. She was under the care of doctor that knew the body inside and out. Knew what the body desired and how it would respond. Oregano knew that she was in good hands as she was laid upon his bed.

* * *

Members of the CEDEF noticed a change in Oregano instantly when she returned to work. The way her hips swayed, the way she dressed and done her hair. She wore a red dress shirt and in her hair decorating her bun were red rose hair pins holding the bun. Oregano was a simple woman who wore simple make-up but even her face done with care with more make-up than usual. Her closest associates, Basil and Turmeric, a boy and man even noticed.

"Good morning, Ms. Oregano," Basil greets.

"Good morning, Basil," she ruffles his hair.

That was surprising! Oregano had always been kind to Basil but this affection was something completely brand new.

"Heh, heh," Turmeric suddenly chuckles, "Wow, you should go on vacations more often if this is the result of week off! You're always so stern and on the go carrying paperwork and making sure the boss is focus on work."

"Oh, I definitely consider taking more days off in a later future."

Turmeric arches a brow. Basil was still curious and confused on Oregano's behavior. It wasn't his place to question his older associate on their personal life. Their boss arrives still in bandages but was able to walk on his own and had used of his arms. As soon as he passes Oregano's desk to enter his office, he pauses and looks her over.

"Well, you look nice today…"

Oregano looks up at him and smiles. He flinches at that!

"You shouldn't look at another woman so closely, Boss!" she chirps.

Iemitsu stares and stares at Oregano until finally he slams his hands onto her desk and leans close to her. Oregano, startled, leans away from the serious expression on Iemitsu's face.

"Oregano…"

"Boss…s-sir?"

Iemitsu's face is shadowed, and then brightens as a goofy grin alongside a giggle escapes him.

"Are you in love~?"

Oregano blushes, "I…I…"

She stares at her hands and nods. Iemitsu throws back his head and laughs. He congratulates Oregano being absolutely happy for her. She was a very young lady and was always focused on work. A lover on the outside was good for her health after long days at work. He starts questioning about her lover. How they met? What kind of dates they went on? What was his occupation?

"W-what are you my father?!" Oregano yells while still blushing. "B…but to answer your last question…he's a doctor."

"Ohhhhh, a doctor!" Iemitsu whistles. "You really landed a good one!"

"He works privately and he's also a vet."

"And a vet?" Iemitsu frowns at that. 'Wait….that sounds like somebody I know…'

As Iemitsu struggles to recall his memory, Oregano's phone goes off. Looking at her phone she receives a message from her lover asking if she could join him for lunch. Smiling she replies, accepting his invitation. Another message, her lover couldn't wait to see her again. She noticed that Iemitsu's mumbling had ceased and looking up she finds the older man at her side peering down on her phone.

"SIR!" she yells holding her phone to her chest.

"A lunch date! How cuuute~!"

"G-get to your office!"

Oregano shoves Iemitsu into his office, while he laughs and warns her that he is still injured.

* * *

Lunch finally arrived and Oregano swiftly cleans her desk and leaves the office. A minute after she was gone, Iemitsu bursts out of his office and grabs Basil and Turmeric. They questioned their boss' intentions and they learn that Iemitsu wanted to see Oregano's boyfriend for himself. Both his subordinates tried to fight against Iemitsu and convince the man that it was a bad idea to poke his nose into Oregano's private affairs! Their protests fell on deaf ears and his grip on them never loosened.

They followed Oregano to a bakery. She purchased a slice a tripled-layer Red Velvet cake and continued on to her destination. Following at a distance, hidden in the crowd they kept their eyes on her as casual as they could. Iemitsu was excited to find out about this boyfriend of Oregano's. Oregano turns a corner. The head of the CEDEF and his two subordinates stopped. Corners must be made with caution, so before turning they took a peek. Oregano embraces a man, practically leaping into his arms. The man's face was hidden by Oregano as he was taller than she was and had to bend slightly to hug her return. When the man pulls away, Iemitsu stumbles backwards with a sharp gasp. He presses himself against the way breaking in a sweat and hyperventilating. Basil and Turmeric were startled by Iemitsu sudden panic attack.

"Boss?! What is the matter?!" Turmeric asks.

"You look like you saw an absolute horror!" Basil shouts.

"This is bad…this is very, very bad!"

Iemitsu pats over his pockets and finds his phone. He struggles to hold it in his hands that were shaking as if he was in an earthquake!

Oregano's phone goes off before she could enter the bar. She frowns as she sees Iemitsu's contact. Apologizing to her boyfriend, she reluctantly answers her phone.

"Boss…..Boss?...Hello?"

"Oregano!" he yells.

"Boss, what is the matter?"

"What are you doing with that man?!"

"…What am I…are you spying on me…where are you?!" Oregano looks around.

"Oregano! You're dating my…"

"IEMITSU?!" Yoyori roars over the crowd.

Oregano whips around and is shocked by the expression of rage on her usually patient and soft boyfriend's face. His eyes were as bright as a raging fire! The hair on his head was standing on end.

"Yoyori?!" Oregano whimpers.

Yoyori leaves Oregano and rips through the crowd, somehow avoiding other pedestrians though he was livid. Iemitsu heard his name from his brother-in-law's throat. He scrambles to get away, but he wasn't fast enough. The world spins around him and there was pain shooting up his spine as he was pressed into a wall. His wounds and bruises howl in pain. He bit his lip to keep himself from voicing his pain as well. He opens his eyes and he was face to face with Yoyori, who was holding him around his neck, not enough to choke him but enough of grip to hold him against the wall with his toes barely touching the sidewalk. Yoyori's face had a moment of confusion that veiled over his anger. He takes in Iemitsu's attire.

"What is this…what…why are you dressed like this? What are you doing here?! How do you know Oregano?! What is this…IEMITSU?!"

"Yo…yori…I…I…"

"Well?!" Yoyori shoves Iemitsu against the wall again. The back of Iemitsu's head bangs against the wall and he grunts in pain.

"Please…calm down…" Iemitsu begs.

"Calm down? How can I be calm when discover my baby sister's husband in Italy when he should be in Antarctica drilling oil!...You're in Italy! Wearing a damn suit! And you expect me to be calm?!" Yoyori snarls.

Basil and Turmeric could do nothing but stare as they watch their Boss being confronted by his brother-in-law. What could they do? Iemitsu was in a tight spot! Oregano pushes past them and grabs Yoyori's arm that was holding Iemitsu.

"Yoyori! Yoyori!"

Yoyori glares at Oregano, "Do you know this man?! Do you know that he has a wife and daughter in Japan? How do you know him?!...Oregano…"

"I…he's…my…"

"….Oregano…" Yoyori's eyes widen and he almost loses his grip on Iemitsu.

"He's my boss!"

"Your boss…and what sort of business are you in, Oregano?"

"We…" Oregano looks to Iemitsu. "We…"

"Wait! Yoyori!"

Yoyori growls at Iemitsu. "Please let me explain," Iemitsu gasps. "But, not here. We can't discuss it here."

Yoyori takes deep breath and drops Iemitsu. Iemitsu was barely able to catch himself. The shock of meeting Yoyori had shook up Iemitsu. His knees were weak. Basil and Turmeric help him to his feet.

* * *

Iemitsu takes Yoyori to a restaurant. Not just any restaurant, a restaurant that was owned by Iemitsu's company. Iemitsu leads them to the back of the restaurant for privacy through a curtain. They pass through the kitchen. Basil and Turmeric were sent back to CEDEF headquarters, while Oregano remained, to keep Yoyori calm. Oregano hears Yoyori's teeth chattering. It was strange to her. He didn't look to be nervous or scared. He still looked irate. Iemitsu opens a door to a room and allows Yoyori to enter first. In the room was a round table with a white tablecloth draped over it. The lighting was low and yellow. Yoyori's nose turns up. He could smell the heavy scent of cigars and cigarettes in the room.

"Please, have a seat…Yoyori-san…" Iemitsu's voice quivered.

Yoyori breathes deeply. He pulls out a chair, pulls his arm out of Oregano's grip and has her sit. Iemitsu finds a chair for Yoyori and offers it to him. Yoyori doesn't look at Iemitsu as he sits and pulls it closer to the table. Resting his elbows on the tabletop, Yoyori hides his face behind his interlaced fingers. His leg bounces underneath the table. Oregano stares at her him and looks to Iemitsu who decided to stand instead of sit. He stood with his head down, looking down on the floor. His hands were clasped together behind his back. He looked like a prisoner who was handcuffed and left standing to be interrogated. She supposes that this was going be like an interrogation.

"Well…"

Oregano and Iemitsu jump. Yoyori lifts his head, resting his chin now over his hands, "Start talking, Iemitsu," Yoyori's voice was low. "Let's start with this question…what are you doing in Italy?"

"….I work here."

"What kind of work do you do?"

"I am an advisor to the Vongola Corporation."

Yoyori hisses and glares at Iemitsu, "Vongola Corporation! Hah! I've been working as a private doctor to enough characters to know a little bit more about the Vongola than it being a mere business! You're only me telling half of the truth! I want to hear it from your mouth…who do you work for?"

Oregano grips the fabric of her pant legs. She nibbles on her lips. Iemitsu takes a deep breath and looks to the ceiling.

"I…I am an external advisor to the Vongola. The leading family of the mafia."

Yoyori closes his eyes, "The mafia….the mafia….it all makes sense now…I didn't want to think it…I didn't want to acknowledge to possibility that Tsunami's involvement with mafia would be deeper…I hoped…I prayed…."

Yoyori stand abruptly and turns over the table with a roar, "THE MAFIA?!"

He strides across the room and grabs Iemitsu once again, his hand around his throat. Yoyori and Iemitsu's eyes lock onto each other.

"YOU'RE A PART OF THE GODDAMN MAFIA! YOU HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER BEING TUTORED BY A HITMAN! FOR WHAT PURPOSE?!"

"He's not merely a tutor…he is training Tsunami to inherit the Vongola…"

"W-what? Tsunami is going to inherit the Vongola…an organization of criminals?!" Yoyori snaps.

"It wasn't always like this…"

"Why would you get Tsunami involve with the mafia?! Your own daughter!"

"DON'T YOU THINK I TRIED?! I TRIED, YOYORI-SAN! I TRIED TO KEEP MY DAUGHTER AWAY FROM THE MAFIA!" Iemitsu finally erupts.

He bows his head, "I have always known that my blood may bring misery onto my children. Whether if I have chosen a wife within or outside the mafia, there was a strong possibility of them being deeply involved with the mafia…I had decided at a young age to never fall in love…but it was a useless promise to myself…I met Nana and I fell in love with her and I couldn't deny my heart! I kept her and Tsunami in Japan…in fact; I had hidden the fact that I had gotten married."

Yoyori narrows his eyes. He removes his hand as he stood before Iemitsu.

"But, I couldn't keep the secret for long, not from my Boss, the Nono…Timeteo…"

"He's a part of the mafia as well? My father sees him as a friend…."

"I know, I know," Iemitsu nods. "When my boss found out that I had a wife and daughter, he wanted to meet them. When he met Tsunami, he sensed her flame. It was pure and untainted. A flame that came from my ancestor, the Primo, the first Boss of the Vongola. After meeting Tsunami, she was considered as a candidate to become the next Boss. I had prayed that she wouldn't be chosen…but, it was all in vain. Timeteo had four sons. Three were murdered and his last remaining son was brutal and cruel."

"Xanxus…" Yoyori realizes.

"It was between him and Tsunami. Timeteo apologized to me and I couldn't argue with him. Timeteo desires that the Vongola and all that falls under it be changed turned back into what the very first boss had first designed it to be; an organization that took it upon itself to protect those against the corrupt. My boss believes that Tsunami is the one to do so."

Iemitsu looks up, "Believe me, Yoyori! I didn't want this for Tsunami! Please, please believe me! My sweet, beautiful daughter a part of this world of blood and guns! I'd tried," his voice sobs. "I even kept myself away from my family to keep them safe! There have been nights that I have wept in a lonely bed…"

Yoyori's fists tighten.

"Days where I wish I could hold my wife and my daughter! I have missed so much of my daughter's life…I'm not a complete fool, Yoyori! I can see it in Tsunami's eyes…she…she hates me! She hates me because she believed that I have abandoned her and Nana!"

Yoyori shakes his head.

"All my sacrifice was for nothing…Tsunami was stilled dragged to become a part of the bloody history of the mafia. It is up to her in how its future will become."

"Iemitsu…Tsunami knows about the mafia?"

"Yes, she's aware. Though, she is refusing to become the mafia boss, according to Reborn's reports, she is only cooperating to keep some sort of secret from getting out. Reborn has not revealed what it is…the Ninth hasn't asked for an answer."

Yoyori looks at a wall. He knew what secret Tsunami was withholding. His own family's secret. This was wrong. All wrong from both parties. Though Yoyori was angry with Iemitsu and his deception, now that he knew what was going on, he realizes that he; Nana and the Tejinaka were no different. Though, they weren't into anything illegal…still, their secret is very great.

The silence is broken by Iemitsu's phone going off. Yoyori turns his back on Iemitsu and he finds Oregano looking at him. In her eyes, that he loved so much, there was confusion, fear and guilt. She was mafia too. Probably knew more about Iemitsu and Tsunami's situation than he did when he had first met her.

'So many lies between the ones we love…why can't we love and trust each other totally?...Fear,' he answers his own question. 'Fear of rejection and loss.'

He listens to Iemitsu's phone conversation. He couldn't help it; his ears pick up the voice of the person on the other side of the phone. He schools his features, when the voice on the other line belonged to whom Iemitsu was addressing at the Ninth Boss of the Vongola himself! Iemitsu's boss asked Iemitsu questions and Iemitsu tells his boss that he had told Yoyori everything. The Ninth, Timeteo asks Iemitsu to convince Yoyori not to tell his family about Iemitsu and Tsunami's involvement with the mafia. It would cause distress on both Tsunami and Nana.

His baby sister, Nana, the older baby sister next to Shini, the baby-baby sister. Nana would be most upset by Iemitsu's deception and involving her only child into a life of violence. Then again, Nana wouldn't have the right to be angry. She too held a secret and if Iemitsu learned of it, what would he think of his wife? What would he think of his daughter?

Iemitsu hangs up.

"Iemitsu…I will keep this a secret from Nana and my family…however, in time, sooner or later…you must tell the truth."

Yoyori sighs and looks to the ceiling. In doing so, may force Nana to share our secret as well. Which secret will cause the most damage to one another?

Iemitsu was surprised. He immediately bows low to his brother-in-law and in thanks him with great gratitude. Yoyori doesn't speak to Iemitsu anymore. He goes to Oregano and kneels onto the floor beside her. She was surprised by his actions and cups his face within her hands.

"Yoyori, I…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Oregano, there's something we must talk about…alone."

Iemitsu takes the hint. He swiftly leaves the room. Yoyori listens quietly until Iemitsu was out of range. He reaches for his glasses and puts them away into his coat pocket.

"….Oregano. There are so many secrets between us! Nana should never have married Iemitsu! Father was wholly against it! But she was allowed to be with him because she loved him. She was willing to give up her identity to be with Iemitsu."

"Give up her identity?"

"Oregano. What I am about to tell you…what I am about to show you…you must never speak of it! What you are about to see of me…is Nana's secret. This secret must only be revealed by Nana and Nana alone to Iemitsu. You can't tell Iemitsu about me! Oregano,"

Yoyori rises off his knees and presses a short kiss against her lips, "I love you! I want to be honest with you!"

"B-but, you have always been honest with me!" Oregano's lips trembles. "Yoyori…"

Yoyori back away until he was directly under a ceiling lamp. He rolls his shoulders and breathes deeply. Frowning, Oregano watches him. Suddenly, his hisses as though he was in pain and moans. She hears the snapping and cracking of bones. His arms grow longer and longer. Hands stretch out and his nails thicken and grow into points. Oregano bolts out of her chair and covers her mouth with her lips. Yoyori keeps his eyes on hers. Taking steps closer to Oregano, he holds out his transformed hands covered in dark, black fur. As he drew close, there were finer details that Oregano was able to see. She sees his pointed ears that had grown long and twitched. His teeth had turned to jagged knives of fangs, his top row canines were the sharpest and longest, glinting even in the dim light.

"Oregano, this is the real me…Oregano…"

Oregano shakes her head and screams, running out of the room. Yoyori stood still. He reaches a hand to his face and it completely covers it.

He later orders a plane ticket to return home.


	26. Chapter 26: The Best and Worst Presents

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano

* * *

Chapter 26: Best and Worst Birthday Presents Ever!

This year Tsunami was going to the Fall Gathering; which is during Tsunami's birthday. So her friends decided to throw her an early surprise party! With Reborn as well of course, Tsunami would have wanted it. Her friends told Nana of their plans and she was so happy that they wanted to celebrate her daughter's birthday with her. Now that Nana knew ahead of time, she wanted to prepare all of Tsunami and Reborn's favorite dishes. Bianchi provided all of Reborn's favorites and offered her assistance. Hayato quickly shot his sister down and quickly came up with a plan to keep Tsunami distracted and away from the house. With the preparation of the party decided, next was the important thing, finding a present for Tsunami.

Xanxus lounges on a sofa staring at the ceiling. Though his body was lax his mind was running all over. Tsunami was having an early birthday. If she was any other person, he wouldn't care. But, Tsunami was bringing out feelings in him that he didn't think he would have for a teenage girl at his age. It was a month and some weeks since he started living with the Sawada for Zen therapy as he called it. Eventually, he had stopped fighting with Tsunami. The breathing exercises were starting to work on him.

The other day, Lambo jumped across the table to attack the last pancake and knocked over his cup of coffee into his lap. He yelled and jumped to his pain. The kitchen became quiet with everybody's eyes on him, except for Nana who went about scrambling for towel. Lambo quivered in fear. The coffee wasn't too hot and the pain went away quickly. Xanxus' hands were clenched before he starts breathing and relaxes his hands. After fifteen breathes, Nana found a towel and hand it to Xanxus. Xanxus cleans himself and the mess on his chair and table and calmly sat down. He glared at Lambo and ordered him to sit down. Lambo quickly did as he was told. Tsunami looked like she had wanted to cry with happiness! After breakfast, Tsunami told him how proud she was of him. She couldn't believe the progress he had made so quickly! So overjoyed, she reached for his face and pulled it low enough to bless a kiss on his brow. Something so innocent and sweet made Xanxus blush. He pushed her away and stomped off in embarrassment. He growled when he had heard Tsunami's giggles.

In a short amount of time, Tsunami had tamed him. The wrath that he held in heart had been melted away by her soul that night she defeated him. That may have cut his temper by a half. Tsunami was different Xanxus supposes. The girls or rather woman he had encountered were nothing more than tools. Tools used to get back at an enemy or to ease his carnal desires when violence wasn't enough to relieve stress. He never bothered getting to know a woman. Of course, being sealed inside an ice prison the majority of your life is to blame as well. Yet, being under the same roof as the one who had defeated, who was younger than he was and half-human, he had the time to get to her. She really wanted to help him and was by his side whenever possible between Reborn's training, her school work and spiritual training. Besides meditation, both found play-fighting to be therapeutic for the both of them. She was a tough brat.

Tsunami already had her feral week this month. That was an experience. Her boys,' particularly Hayato, tried to dissuade him from following them to some abandoned amusement park. Nobody (but maybe Tsunami…and sometimes her mother) can tell him what to do. Tsunami didn't say he couldn't go so he followed. Xanxus admitted to himself seeing her feral form did make him nervous. In that form, she nearly torn him apart that night she discovered Timeteo. Feral-Tsunami locked onto him and stuck to him like glue. It didn't escape his attention that Tsunami's shirt and bra were ripped off. Damn. They were beautiful. Tsunami was 200% honest with her feelings because she was much affectionate than usual. She kissed his neck as she prepared to feed from him. When she fed from him they watched each other. Red eyes on red eyes. Hell, that was the most arousing experience he ever felt. He never desired a girl so badly in that moment and she smiled with her fangs in him and moaned. She knew what he was feeling.

'Fuck!' Xanxus closes his eyes and grits his teeth. 'That tease! Such a damn tease!'

No wonder all the boys trail after her, not caring about each other. So long as they get to be close to that girl! That ticked Xanxus off! It made him angry because of his pride. He didn't want to be some lovesick puppy chasing Tsunami's tail along with the rest of those kids!

'….Did she have a tail?' Xanxus' thoughts trailed off.

A giggle above him makes his eyes snap open. Speak of the devil bat. Tsunami tilts her head, smiling that angelic smile with those big, brown eyes.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Xanxus?"

"…Thinking about how much you drive me crazy."

"What? Me?" Tsunami frowns.

"Yeah…you."

"How?"

Xanxus clicks his tongue, "Like you don't know!"

Tsunami tilts her head to the other side and seems to be thinking hard herself. Reaching up with one arm, he grabs her around her neck and yanks her face down. They were now eye to eye.

"Get a whiff."

Tsunami's nose flares and her eyes darken. She even had the decency to blush! Tsunami pulls away and shivers.

"Oh!"

"You're pissing me off…go away!" Xanxus rolls onto his side.

He feels her hand comb into the back of his head and down to the nap of his neck. He sighs. No wonder the Rain brat melted to the floor. The feeling of heaven slides away from him and he could hear her walk away and climb up the stairs.

'What am I going to give her for her birthday?' Xanxus wonders.

Afterschool, Kensuke runs after Tsunami before she had left with Takeshi and Hayato. Kyoya was at his usual post watching over the students leaving for school. Kyoya and Hayato glare at Kensuke as he stops before Tsunami.

"Hey, Tsunami-chan!" he smiles.

"Hello, Mochida-sempai."

Kensuke reaches into his shoulder bag and pulls out a wrapped package.

"Here!"

"F-for me?"

"Yeah, I remembered your birthday! I happen to run into to Kyoko and Ryohei…they told me that you'll be visiting family during your birthday. So I got you a little something."

"Sempai, this is very nice of you, thank you."

It was a small box that fitted in the palm of Tsunami's hand. The ribbon is pulled and the paper spreads away from the box. It looks like a ring box. Hayato handles the wrapping paper and ribbons allowing Tsunami to open the box. The gift was a ring. A ring that the silver band was designed to form the wings of a bat with the bat's head on top of the band with a costume jewelry ruby in its mouth. Kensuke still associates bats with Tsunami.

"I can't seem to separate bats from you. Maybe it's your spirit animal."

Tsunami laughs, "Actually, my family's symbol is a bat."

"R-really?" Kensuke was surprise. "You know…maybe we can talk about it more together sometime! I really would like to get know you more."

"Yes, I wouldn't mind. I would like to be friends with you."

Kensuke smiles softly and nods, "I would like that too for starters."

"Thank you, sempai."

"You're welcome, happy birthday!"

Kensuke turns but Takeshi stops him.

"Actually, sempai, can you walk Tsu-chan home?"

"What?!" Hayato yells.

"Yeah, remember there's something that we need to get!"

Hayato glares at Takeshi and clicks his tongue, "Fine. That is if you're okay with him, Boss?"

Tsunami shakes her head. Kensuke is beaming.

"Thanks, Yamamoto! Don't worry I'll take care of her!"

"Just go to her house and don't go in!" yells Hayato.

Takeshi chuckles and pulls Hayato away. Kyoya growls which Tsunami gives him a pleading look. He snorts and returns to his duties. Takeshi and Hayato leave while Kensuke and Tsunami walk home.

On the way home to Tsunami's house, Kensuke learned a bit about Tsunami. He had heard rumors of Tsunami being able to see ghost since she was little. Tsunami confirmed it and explained that for a long time her family communicates with ghosts in order to help them find peace. Ghosts are very real to them. Tsunami also tells him that she was chosen by her grandfather to take over the family. Kensuke couldn't believe how much responsibility Tsunami had. No wonder she was always practicing at graveyards and temples. He now had newfound respect for Tsunami. Arriving at her house, Kensuke was tempted to ignore Hayato's warning, especially when Tsunami offered him warm tea before he made the trip home. That was until some horribly scarred man appeared behind her and glared down on him. The fires of hell were burning within his red eyes. Tsunami turns around to look up at the man and greets him cheerfully. The man greets her back but doesn't take his eyes off Kensuke.

"Want to come in for tea?"

"….Um, it's okay…it's going to get dark really fast so…I'll see ya' later!"

Kensuke briskly walks out of her yard. Tsunami sighs and pouts. He shrugs.

* * *

Tsunami woke up late in the morning. Glancing at her clock she screams. Why didn't her alarm go off?! Why didn't Reborn kick or blow her up out of her bed?! She was going to be late for school. She yells for her mother and asked why she didn't wake her up?

"Ara….I was distracted this morning!"

"Mama!" Tsunami complains.

After pulling on her school clothes, she bolts out of her room and rushes down the stairs. It had been awhile since she tumbled down the stairs. She yelps and crashes onto the floor of the stairs. Groaning in pain, she slowly rolls off her back and sits up.

"BOSS!" Hayato screams.

"Hayato-kun? You were here all this time?! Do you know how late it is?!...And why are you not wearing your school clothes?"

Hayato helps her to her feet. Tsunami was surprised when he next covers her eyes and guides her to the kitchen. A few seconds later he pulls apart his hands and Tsunami gasps at the sight.

All her friends including Xanxus, Dino and a few of his men were packed into the kitchen where for breakfast all her favorite foods she liked to taste were on the table. There were also some items that were not Japanese food…they must be for Reborn.

"What…?"

"Happy birthday Tsunami and Reborn!"

There was weight on her head and looking up it was Reborn.

"_Grazi_…" he looks down smiling, "Happy birthday, Tsunami."

Tsunami becomes teary eyed, "Happy birthday, Reborn…and thank you everyone!"

It took a few minutes for Tsunami to stop crying before they were able to dig into her large birthday breakfast. In the middle of breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Nana answers it and leads Squalo and her brother Bram into the dining area. Squalo's eyes widen as well as Dino's.

"M…m…Morgana!"

"V-voiiiii! It's Squalo!"

"W-what are you doing here?"

"I came back," Squalo folds her arms. "I was just visited home and my family to show them that I was still alive. This is my brother, Bram."

Squalo speaks in her fae-language to Bram. Bram looks between her and Dino and makes an inquiry. Squalo yells at him with a tinge of a blush. Dino stood up and trips over the kids. Romario and the other Chiavarone men were stunned. Squalo frowns.

"What's the matter with you?"

Dino was back on his feet yet continues to trip and stumble as he makes his way to Squalo. He grabs her hands firmly enough that Squalo couldn't pull away. She shrinks away from his penetrating gaze.

"You're coming back?"

"F-for Xanxus and the Varia! Voi, let go!"

"No! I have something I want to ask you!" he brings her hands to his lips and kisses both of her hands.

"Dino!" she was really red now.

Xanxus watches with an arched brow and smirks seeing Squalo was flustered and acting so girly. Dino keeps a steady gaze on her cool-gray eyes.

"Squalo, I'm in love with you."

The girls and women in the room gasp and blush. Dino's familgia did the same! Squalo opens and closes her mouth.

"Please do me the honor and be my girlfriend."

Squalo sputters, "What?!"

"Please."

"Y-you idiot! Dumbass! You're just…you're just under the influence of my enchantment."

"You have been gone for over a month. My feelings have not left me."

"S-top speaking like a poet!" Squalo roars.

"Please, be with me."

"Shut up!"

"Please!"

"Be silent, stupid horse!"

"I love you," Dino whispers.

"I'm not human!" Squalo continues to protest.

"I love you!"

"Stop saying that!"

"…Squalo, before you left into the sea, you kissed me. Why?"

Squalo looks away from Dino and realizes that they had an audience. Her boss was smirking as he was enjoying the show. She gives a dirty look before Dino's hand turns his face back on to him, still expecting an answer. Squalo shook her head.

"I kissed you…I kissed you because in that damn moment…I realized that you could have kept me by keeping my coat. You gave me my coat and took me home…and then you asked me if I would come back. You could have force me to stay…you gave me an option to leave or stay. I think I did felt a little something."

"Please be with me! I want to make that feeling stronger…"

"Such a damn sap!" Squalo whispers. "F-fine….we can try for a little while…"

Dino grins happily and wraps his arms around her. He proclaims his love for her over and over. Their audience claps and whistles. Nana, Bianchi and Haru looked like they were going to cry. Xanxus even raises his bottle of beer in a small, quiet toast. Squalo lets him hug for a minute before she pushes him off. Bram was grinning and he speaks. Squalo growls at him. Bram turns Dino to him and hugs him strongly and says something again.

Squalo crosses her arms, "He's welcoming you to the family…don't get your hopes up! We're only dating….I doubt it will evolve into something so permanent."

Dino was released and he smiles softly, "I will make sure that it does grow into something binding."

"Idiot!" she hisses.

It was time for presents! Tsunami felt that she was being spoiled. She apologized to Reborn. She didn't know that their birthdays were going to be celebrated so early. Reborn reassured her that she will make it up to him. She was going to take him as a guest to her Gathering. Tsunami protested but Reborn argues that it wouldn't matter. He was a baby. Nana thought it was sweet that Reborn didn't want to leave with Tsunami!

Back to presents! From Hayato, he created a CD of his piano playing, including the song he made for her on White Day. Tsunami was so excited with Takeshi's present. It was a limited edition of a game that she wanted! Lambo, Fuuta and Ipin made their present for Tsunami. It was a huge poster that was taller than Fuuta of a colorful drawing of her along with the children. It was promised to them that the poster would be put on her wall. Ryohei and Kyoko came together with a lovely hat with gloves to go with them. Kyoko let it be known that Ryohei had wanted to give Tsunami boxing gloves! Haru's gift was a lovely framed blown-up image of Tsunami and Chrome kissing. Both girls of the image blush at the large-scale picture. Xanxus was surprised. He didn't know that Tsunami was bisexual! Tsunami explained that it just happened and she didn't mind it. It still stunned Dino! Chrome didn't have anything substantial, something that could be held. But Mukuro assured her that it is the thought that counts. Chrome and Mukuro's gift to Tsunami was a kiss. A deep kiss that lasted for a minute until Dino couldn't take it and pulls Chrome away. Blushing, he explains that boy or girl he wouldn't allow his little sister's chastity to be threatened.

"Should I tell him?" Hayato grins slyly.

Takeshi shakes his head rapidly, "B-but I didn't break it! Sempai did it!"

Bianchi found a collection of shirts. Shirts that Tsunami recognized would be perfect to wear with her wings! How thoughtful and fashionable. Dino's gift to Tsunami was a very expensive looking charm bracelet. Dino had a couple of charms to start her off: a charm of the Italian flag, the Japanese flag, a charm with a lion on it and another charm of a bat. Tsunami handled the bracelet with such care, afraid she might scratch it. Squalo's present to Tsunami was actually a gift of thanks. It was a velvet bag of pearls. The white pearls were beautifully iridescent. Reborn hands her coupon pass for her to borrow Leon for a day. She thanks Reborn and kisses Leon. To Tsunami and everybody's shock, Xanxus had a gift for her! Xanxus' gift was in a gift bag. Tsunami looks into the bag and reaches inside. Her eyes widen and she blushes.

"Xanxus!"

Xanxus shrugs, "What…it looked nice." He looks at her grinning.

Tsunami pouts and closes the bag tightly, tying the ribbon-like handles into knots.

Nana was the last to give her gift. Her gift to her daughter was in an envelope. It had come through the mail; the sender was from the local hospital. Tsunami frowns and looks up at her mother confused. The envelope had already been open. Nana had read it already. Tsunami pulls out the paper packed inside and reads. Her eyes widen and they dart across the paper over and over. She cries aloud and hugs her mother. Nana laughs and hugs her daughter.

"Awwww, are you happy?"

Tsunami sobs and nods her head against her mother's chest. Nana sees the confused faces and grins.

"I'm pregnant!"

* * *

At the gathering there was great excitement. Death is their business, but life is recognized just as strongly. Pups are born in their clan every day by it is still a joyful occasion, especially if it's from one of Buiiro's daughters. Nana's mothers fuss over her, sharing their hopes of another granddaughter or grandson. Tsunami didn't have a preference for having either a brother or a sister. She already had experience with Fuuta, Lambo and Ipin.

The clan was happy to finally celebrate Tsunami's birthday this year. Being that she had skipped that gathering last year they were throwing a huge banquet for her. Much to Tsunami's embarrassment and her protests were brutally ignored. One thing Tsunami did appreciate was that she wasn't being chased around by over flirtatious males. They were very decent to her. Young male Tejinaka, non-related, only spoke to her when spoken to by her. Curious, she asked one of her cousins. Their response was to smile nervously, change the subject or the common reply, "I don't know…" along with a shrug. Chikusa and Ken seemed to know. But all they could tell her was she wasn't going to like it and it was best for her to ask her grandfather. Buiiro sighed heavily when Tsunami asked what was going on with the males. He had Tsunami follow him into middle shrine built within the cavern. Once they were alone he has her sit in the candle-lit room. Being that they were bats, there wasn't a need for any sort of lighting. The candle lights were more for Lord Mori's vision.

"Tsunami, I was sort of backed into a corner by the clan."

"You?"

"There are strengths in numbers. It also helps then when you have all three of your wives flank you," he grumbles. "Well, when I had visited you last, I realized that you are very, very close to a few of your friends. Your scent, your musk is on your friends so strongly and from it I can tell you have been intimate with one or more of them. Particularly the boxer and Yamamoto Takeshi. The girl with the eye-patch was surprise. Anyway, I shared my observations with various members. It has drawn out the older generation's concerns."

"What kind of concerns," Tsunami frowns.

"Being that I have chosen you to take over the clan, they believe that it is best for you to have a mate that is..." Buiiro takes a deep breath. "Not human. Even within the animal kingdom there is a hierarchy and a desire to be at the top. You're the first potential heir I have chosen to take my place. You are growing more powerful in your spirituality and will surpass me. Certain members of the clan want to be a part of your legacy. They want you to mate with someone within the clan and there are dozens upon dozens of males that they want to push onto you. You have a few male humans; they at least want you to select one non-human bat to be with you."

Tsunami growls lowly. An animal-like growl.

"Since you are half-human, it was assumed that you have a stronger attraction to humans than your fellow bats. They took it into consideration and decided that if the young males court you the human way that you would find one of them much appealing. The typical way hasn't worked at all here. You never gave any one of them a chance!"

Tsunami pouts.

"So, to this the human way we decided to have an omiai."

"An omiai?! That's…"

"The clan is trying to find you a mate. A steady mate…" Buiiro sighs, again, "A husband. You will have a formal meeting with a potential mate and spend a day with him. The clan wanted longer…but, for the males' safety I figured you would prefer at least a day a week with a different male. I'm sorry, Tsunami."

"Worst birthday present, ever."

After receiving the worst birthday present ever given to her, Tsunami didn't want to face the rest of her clan and family for a little bit, staying hidden within temple. She sensed the familiar soul presence of her uncle, Yoyori. Her uncle caught her attention by how low in spirit he was. Yoyori was sad, no depressed. She seeks him out and found him in a room to himself with a tall bottle of sake in the grip of his hand and a deep dish sake cup. He was lying on his stomach, his face hidden in the "L" of his arm. His usually professionally gelled hair was a ruffled bedhead mess. Wordlessly, she kneels beside him and puts a hand on his back. Yoyori groans lowly.

"Oh, how I envy you and your generation of this decade, Tsunami. You're of a generation that is becoming more and more open-minded when it comes to what the hearts wants and desires. I remember growing up in times when homosexuality was considered like a crime…if you're a girl with more than one man in her life you're considered a whore. I heard from father how you are in a romantic relationship with your boys. The girl was a surprise."

Tsunami smiles bashfully. She resettles herself on the floor, leaning into her uncle's side and brushes her fingers through his hair. Yoyori purrs and rolls onto his side while facing Tsunami. He wraps his arms around her waist and draws himself closer to her. He whispers-speaks to her and Tsunami freezes in shock. Yoyori knew of the mafia and how involve she was. He told her how he found out. He fell in love with a woman named Oregano. Oregano worked under her father, a part of an organization a part of the mafia. When he learned about Iemitsu's true occupation and why he kept it a secret from Nana, Yoyori was convinced that a lie in a relationship was unhealthy for both parties. So he revealed his true self to her…and she rejected him.

"I'm glad you and your boys are together. Please continue to be honest with them. Show each of them love and care."

Tsunami promises with a kiss to the crown of his head.

* * *

Tsunami returned home and gathered Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Chrome and Mukuro at Kokuyo Land. It took some convincing to get Kyoya and Xanxus to come along but after stressing how important it was and that it involved her family, the bat-side they joined them. Tsunami announces her family's decision relating to her love life.

"WHAAAT?!" Hayato roars.

Xanxus folds his arms and he snarls low. Kyoya's face was clear of emotion but there was certain hard steel in his eyes. Takeshi's mouth fell open with Ryohei mimicking the same till he yells an "EXTREME". Chrome appears sad until mists surround her and Mukuro's form appears startling everyone.

"Kufufu, your family is ambitious."

"….I…I didn't suspect they were like that…." Tsunami recovers with a sigh. "Which is why you're all here, I want to be honest with you." She takes a deep breath. "As may know by now, I like you all. I really, really like you," she blushes. "I've can say with confidence that I love a few of you…others, I'm learning to love."

Anger and shock dissolves to surprise and rosy cheeks.

"I want to continue this path we're on. But, please be honest with me. I promise to be honest with you in turn. My grandfather and my uncle told me that honesty and understanding is key to a successful relationship. So," Tsunami twiddles her thumbs and glances around the room shyly. "What do you want?"

"Hime!" Hayato bolts forward, grabbing her hands. "You're an incredible girl! It is an honor for me to be considered someone such as me for you to love! Whatever you desire, I will support…other than giving up your life!"

Tsunami smiles, leaning forward and tipping onto the balls of her feet she reaches up and pecks his lips in thanks. Hayato purrs as he blushes. Takeshi clears his throat and the two noticed that he had joined them.

"May I speak with Tsuna-chan?"

Hayato nods, he kisses Tsunami's hands before slowly pulling away from her as his hand while caressing hers. Takeshi pulls Tsunami into a hug, hunching over her slightly. He rocks her for a moment until Tsunami's muffles a giggle. Moving far enough to see her face, he rubs his thumbs over his cheeks.

"I don't mind, Tsuna-chan! I think this is fun. Ryohei-sempai knows more than I do and he was nice enough to help me out when I had questions."

She was surprised to hear that. Takeshi and Ryohei were in a partner-dynamic of partners sharing a lover. Partners in a polyamorous-relationship share information between each other in order to please their shared lover! Tsunami smiles at Ryohei. The boxer nods, confirming Takeshi's statement.

"I understand that concept of sharing and helping." Mukuro speaks up. "I'm happy that Chrome's feelings mimic my own attraction to you, dear Tsunami. Through Chrome I am able to partake in the giving and taking of affections between each other."

"And I do feel you through Chrome at times," Tsunami grins. "You're so dark…in a good-naughty sort of way," a hot blush.

Mukuro grins like a devil and it makes Tsunami tingle all over. Kyoya grunts seeing his rival and his pet flutter their lashes as each other. Hearing him, Tsunami becomes nervous.

"Kyoya-senpai?"

Hearing the hope and seeing her big-doe eyes enlarge and sparkle, Kyoya huffs.

"I would rather have you all to myself, my pet. But, you have proven yourself a powerful carnivorous alpha female by defeating this large herbivore." He thumbs over to Xanxus. "It is a natural practice among your roost; I will not hinder your natural instincts to collect mates. I just think you have poor taste in your selection.

"EXTREMELY RUDE!"

"Asshole," Hayato spats.

"Kufufufu, it has been awhile since I've seen you. You've regained your confidence. It should be knocked down again."

Kyoya narrows his eyes and reaches within jacket. Tsunami growls while flashing her eyes red briefly.

"So, what about Xanxus?" Takeshi asks curiously. "He's only been here a month and you've included him in this talk."

"I was wondering that, too." Hayato glares at the adult.

Said adult ignores all the stares, pretending that he didn't care about them or the heart-to-heart discussion. Tsunami giggles.

"Xanxus is a work in-progress. I'm think I'm starting to like him…but I'm not sure if he wants me…it all depends on him."

Xanxus pointedly look at Tsunami. He had never told her that he actually liked her. It was mostly focused on her liking him. He felt that he didn't need to tell her. She had the nose to tell that she made him hot and bothered. The little tease wants him to confess with his words about how he wanted her. Fine, they will play the cat-and-mouse game. Let's see who can resist the other the longest.

"Hahaha, my money's on Tsunami winning the game of love!"

"Tch," Xanxus rolls his eyes.

Hayato grins in confidence, "Of course, Hime will win…wait till she goes into heat, let's see him resist her then."

Xanxus frowns at that, "What? Heat?"

Ryohei flushes red. He turns to a wall and grips it with his hands, "Extreme! Tsunami-chan goes into heat?! That's so extremely hot!..."

The wall begins to crack from his grip, "I can't wait to the EXTREME!"

Takeshi shyly looks at Tsunami. He liked the idea of Tsunami going into heat too. He would like to have a little rougher sex with her. One of Hayato's eyes glows brightly and has his face twists into a heated expression. It was very strange look!

Mukuro barks out a laugh suddenly, "I'm afraid Chrome isn't quite ready for that level of intimacy! But would love to take her time and assures you, Tsunami, that she cares for you and finds you leading a harem of boys sexy. She wouldn't mind if your harem expands."

The ones she loved and the ones that she was learning to love were find with each other. Okay with the possibility that they may be another addition if her family had their way. Tsunami had her doubts, but if by chance she did find a male Tejinaka to be her mate, he and they could accept each other. She will remember Uncle Yoyori's words. She will remember to be honest and not take her lovers and soon-to-be lovers for granted.


End file.
